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The 4400: One of Us
(S04E11) This season continues to deliver more and more great performances. It was a terrific surprise to find Lily again in the very beginning moments of this episode, even though I was expecting to see her, based on the scenes previewing this week's story. I was so sorry when she died because I like the actress so much. She nailed the character with ease, and her chemistry with Mahershalalhashbaz Ali was wonderful all over again. But the best part of this episode (besides the guest appearance from Penny Johnson Jerald, who invented evil on 24 as David Palmer's ex-wife) was the opportunity given to Joel Gretsch as an actor.If there were any question about whether or not Tom was one of the Marked before this episode, it's pretty determined now that he is definitely one of them. A host has taken over Tom's body, and that leads me to wonder where on earth Tom is? His psyche has to be trapped somewhere in his own head, and mad as hell.
But it makes sense that they would send Parrish either to activate him, or to realize that he was starting to become activated, and to act as a guide to make sure he would make the transition smoothly. The new Tom is more exuberant and more confident and more arrogant than Tom Baldwin is. And Joel Getsch captures this magnificently. He has to play someone inhabiting his character, and the very subtle nature of the change in him, even when he is interacting with Diana is really an acting marvel to watch. I could tell just be the slightest shifts in voice pattern or eye shifts that he was faking, but he also did a pretty find job of faking being Tom, without managing to be him entirely.
Diana has known him a lot longer than Meghan has, and even though she is not sleeping with him, she knows that something's up. Jacqueline McKenzie isn't as subtle as Gretsch, but neither does her character call for her to be. Do you think Alter Ego Tom was really establishing mind control over Marco? I think he was-- it would have been easy for him to control Marco laughing the whole thing off. Diana wasn't kidding that it wasn't funny-- and I don't think it was a joke. And this is confusing, because even though it wasn't funny for Diana, it was, actually, pretty funny.
Okay, raise your hand if you no longer think that Kyle actually has an ability of any kind? Who else thinks Cassie is just someone from the future who pretends to be his ability but actually just manipulates the hell out of him? They got him and got him good: They chose an attractive redhead and played into his great desire to have an ability. It's pretty clear now, though, why the future people who are on Jordan's side want Tom Baldwin to take the shot: It will either expel the person inhabiting him, kill Tom, or make that person be on Jordan's side. Or something else that will help Jordan's movement.
Someone commented last week that Kevin's research was going to be a very bad thing, and they were absolutely right. Kevin's research is going to divide the whole world. And it is now clear that Jordan has a vision of a supreme race and he doesn't even have to genetically engineer it: The people who are the so-called "weak" will die after they take promicin. So, there is already a tacit assumption that people who don't have special ability capabilities don't deserve to live, hidden in the guise of the good of the gifted over the good of the non.
Shawn Ferrell, it might be up to you to save us all.
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