I watched this episode the night before I went into my procedure…Absolutely loved it, and hoped to start writing my review the next day, but then the Percocet held me back.  I started the sonnet for this episode on a Percocet high…but the turn it took was more about watching the episode a few more times and falling deeply in love with it than any drug induced euphoria…

 

 
Aside from this episode being directed by one of my favorite people ever (I’ve met Guy Bee twice now, at a Supernatural Convention in Vancouver and one in Chicago), but with every passing episode I fall more and more in love with one Miles Matheson.  The fact that he even has his snarky comments when he is in very immediate peril…Just love…My favorite exchange of this episode?
 

 
Miles: “Corporal.”
Sergeant Shady Pants (Strausser): “I’m a sergeant now.”
Miles: “Well, let’s be honest.  You’re a sociopath, is what you are.  Before the blackout, you’d have been locked in a rubber room.”

 
And without further ado, another sonnet to Miles and his glorious hair:
 

 
A(nother) Sonnet to Miles
 
Oh Miles, in your heart you must be true
and fight to end the change you brought to light
The time to kill Monroe is overdue
It’s time to take your sword and fight the fight
 
Your hair and swagger fill my soul with love
And your sweet snark makes me want to write songs
Pull out your sword and raise it high above
Because that is always where it belongs
 
We had to know that Mia was not good
When she objected to you with her sis
We know that with Monroe is where she stood
How could one not want Miles’ sword and kiss?
 
I think obsessed with this show I’ve become
And now I want to see Miles get some.

 
Writing credits were given to David Rambo (one of the executive producers, he also wrote “Sex and Drugs”) and Melissa Glenn who has past writing credits with Leverage and Hawaii Five-O.

 
Since Miles, Charlie and the gang were unable to get Danny off the train, they will now have to go into the heart of the monster for him–Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the capitol of the Monroe Republic.  In order to get to Philadelphia, they will have to cross the river.  Upon arriving at the most direct route, Miles recognizes a trap created by Sergeant Strausser.  They have no idea just how extensive this trap is, or what history will be dredged up in pursuit of Danny…
 

 
And on to the analysis…
 


 
I was so in love with how action packed this episode was.  Sure there were things that I easily saw as problematic–like the Mia thing.  It was great seeing some Nora backstory, though.  We actually got a lot more insight into Nora than just those couple flashbacks to a few months after the blackout.


 
Nora and Mia’s mother was killed when their house was looted a couple months after the blackout.  Their father did’t live with them, and Nora and her sister made the the two month trek on foot to their father’s place in Galveston, TX to find out he was gone, too.  It was interesting seeing the complex nature of Mia in present time.  As soon as she said she was a bounty hunter, I knew she was setting them up.  Her whole crying, trying to wear her sister down, stressing that Nora was supposed to protect her–an obvious ploy to get Nora away from the others…

 
On the other side, Mia did do what she did to protect her sister, from the way things were playing out. But she also betrayed what Nora (and apparently Mia herself) seemed to stand for before. She spent the year bounty hunting for the Monroe Militia, finding rebels FOR MONROE. Mia said they trusted her because she used to be in with them, so she was able to get the information to the militia.  She apparently never gave Nora away though.  Mia does seem very protective of her sister and shows obvious hostility toward Miles for we know not what…yet…

 

One thing we definitely see is that Mia felt that Miles’ and Nora’s relationship was toxic. From the looks of it, their romance was on again off again.  Mia saw it as her sister not having the strength to say no to Miles. In Mia’s opinion it seemed to be that Nora was sexually attracted to Miles and so their relationship always became that.  Mia seemed to feel that Miles had some kind of hold on Nora that made Nora act out of character.  Well, I can understand the sexual attraction, but I think that maybe Mia just sees Miles as some military hammer and nothing more.  This all seems to go well with how Miles seems to go out of his way to make people see him in the worst possible light.  He doesn’t want people to see weakness–doesn’t want others to know how he struggles with things.  He hides his true feelings behind his snark and his sword. 

 
Nora even admits that Mia acted in a way similar to how she would have acted in the past.  Charlie’s quest has changed her?  Her loyalty to Miles?  That Nora’s loyalties have changed since right before the blackout becomes very apparent.  Even though she was all about protecting her sister, she has now adopted Miles, Charlie and Aaron as her family– where she is needed and who has earned her trust.  Despite her past, she chooses them over her sister.  I loved how she said she promised Miles and she promised Charlie.  They are her family now.  If Mia trusted her, she would have trusted the people Nora chose to trust, but instead Mia sold them down the river.  Was it this fact, or learning that Mia had sold out their rebel friends, or that Mia chose to lie about finding their father to entice Nora, or a combination of all those things that made Nora decide that she no longer wanted anything to do with her sister?  


 
We see here a very poignant version of Kripke’s “family is more than just blood” themes.  Nora has made her choice, and it wasn’t her blood, but the family she has chosen.  Meanwhile, Miles has gone on this quest because Charlie and Danny are his family–his brother’s children.  Aaron, too is here because Charlie is family to him (although not by blood).  Circumstances haven’t made for Miles and Aaron to become very friendly, however.  Any grudging respect Miles got for Aaron when Aaron killed Drexel in “Sex and Drugs” was greatly compromised by Aaron falling for Mia’s slight of hand and losing the pendant…
 

 
Now, Monroe finally has a pendant!  As Miles tells Aaron, Monroe doesn’t care about the lights, he only cares about weapons.  Monroe promptly gave the pendant to Rachel, claiming she now has everything she needs.  I could have sworn she said that all twelve were needed to turn the power back on…Is only one needed? It will be interesting to see what can be done with the one!  Will Rachel attempt a delay?  And what about Danny?  Danny wasn’t impressed with Mom’s attitude when we last saw him.  Somehow, I don’t think he’ll take kindly to being used as incentive for Rachel to work for Monroe.  I’m sure he will attempt escape–but will he attempt it with or without Rachel?



 

Did anyone get that tingly feeling when we saw that reactor thingy with Randall and Grace?  I know I did.  They also knew Ben’s pendant was the one in Philadelphia.  They knew where ALL THE PENDANTS were!  And they had power!  This is so freaking me out.  I’m as excited about what is going on here as I was when we finally opened the hatch on LOST!

 
There was another wonderful storyline that I’m really getting into now…My fears about Jason’s safety were well founded!  Monroe found out that Jason bribed a stablehand in an effort to find out where Strausser was going to protect Charlie and he was caught.  The options Monroe offered?  Execution for treason or expedition to the California Commonwealth, which really is the same thing, but at least he could go down fighting…
 

 
Something about Julia Neville hasn’t sat well with me, ever since we met her…I understand the concept of “a mother’s love” which we have seen in another of Kripke’s babies, Supernatural, with Samantha Smith’s character playing the “Mary Winchester” version of the Mother of All in “Mommy Dearest”. I wonder if Julia didn’t make up the whole story.  Was she really just “thrifty” like she said?  Or does she have that much control over her house “staff” that she is able to get them to say things she wants them to?  I’m seriously questioning the timing of finding out about Colonel Faber’s son…Monroe did find a group of Rebels with Faber’s son, so it appears that it was the case, but something about Julia leads me to believe that she may have known through some other means and may have bribed the staff to say what she wanted her to and protect how she actually knew.  Maybe I just see conspiracy everywhere, but I don’t trust her.  The conversation she had with Neville about how Monroe isn’t fit to lead?  I don’t think she’s wrong, but I just felt something very “Lady MacBeth” about the whole conversation…Even Neville’s reaction was very “MacBeth”.  We all know how well that turned out for the MacBeth’s…
 

 
Actually, Monroe’s whole fear that people are after him is quite MacBeth as well, just at a different time in the story, when MacBeth is quite certain that people are trying to do him in. Which they essentially were…Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not after you! But I can’t help but worry this won’t turn out well for the Nevilles. Monroe decided that Faber’s son being part of the resistance was enough to sentence Faber to death as well.  By doing this, and letting Neville know about it demonstrates to Neville that should it be shown that Jason is a rebel sympathizer, this will reflect on Neville as well.  Clearly Monroe is too dangerous to keep in power and sees conspiracy and betrayal everywhere.  Meanwhile, I don’t see Jason’s issues or desire to protect Charlie any way he can as ending any time soon!  Will Neville find himself pitted against Monroe and with Miles?  I’m liking that idea!

 
The promo for next Monday’s episode included Led Zeppelin music and I’m really excited to see how else their music is used in the episode besides the title: “Kashmir”.  Buckle up for another Miles Monday!
 
Please accept my apologies for the rampant fangirling this episode.  I’m just so excited (and still on meds) about our new Kripke show!  Let me know what you thought of the episode! 

Screencaps taken from grande-caps tumblr. 

 

 

 

 

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