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Defying Gravity – Sentenced to solitary confinement in their own skins

Jen Crane

Today, I continue my look at the episodes of Defying Gravity that ABC decided we didn’t want to see. In the Alphabet Network’s defense, there really weren’t that many people watching. However, I know that there are a lot of fans of the show that frequent the site, so we continue with our coverage. Again ABC is stating that they plan to eventually air these final four episodes, so Major Spoiler Warnings apply to those that continue reading.

Rollie is, to put it simply, in deep shit. He was apparently pretty drunk when he ran over that girl. And, with Goss coming to your rescue, things aren’t necessarily looking up. Jen and he weren’t talking for most of the episode, but she thought it was just because she wasn’t talking to him, not because he was locked up. When Goss finally got him out, Jen had moved on to leaning on Ted.

The latest training segment was a sensory deprivation scenario, because being locked in a dark tank of water has got to be fun. Most of the ASCANs handled it well, but Jen and Nadia had it the worst. Jen eventually overcame her fear by using a trick she learned from Rollie. Nadia powered through the scenario, and then got past it by throwing herself at Donner. I’ve got to say, I’m a bigger fan of Nadia’s approach.

Zoe and Donner continue their dance. He taught her how to play darts at Major Tom’s, and she used the same bit of advice five years later to help him ace a landing scenario test that was giving him troubles. They do make a good team, and I’m glad these two ended up on the Venus mission together (since it’s doubtful we’ll ever see any of the other planets).

Paula was required to sit through a psych evaluation with Evram. She’s off the “Beta is the Devil” kick, but she still is trying to figure out what Beta is to her. She talked about her vision, which is “her miracle,” as she called it. She believes that God saved her dog when she was a child, but Evram helps her discover that things didn’t exactly happen the way she thought. She sought her comfort in the oddest of places, and Wass was there for her. Theirs has become one of my favorite relationships, as they are wonderful fighting with each other, but when the chips are down they are there for each other too.

Other stuff:

  • In the past, Claire took her first real shot at Evram, only to be shot down (and she ended the night with the reporter, Trevor, whose wedding band I spotted in the second viewing)
  • Zoe spent a good deal of the episode trying to figure out her “first line,” as the first woman on Venus
  • Trevor the married reporter was also digging into the ISO report of the Halos causing the hallucinations
  • The theme episode was fairly straightforward about how each of the cast dealt with isolation. Interesting, though, was who ended up alone: Jen, Zoe, and Evram in the past, and in the future, Rollie and Zoe
  • Claire found that the crew was experiencing some genetic mutations, but Goss ordered her to keep it to herself
  • So we know that Arnel has no leg in the future, but the injury hasn’t happened yet in the past timeline … I wonder if we’ll go into that?
Photo Credit: ABC

Categories: | Episode Reviews | General | TV Shows |

9 Responses to “Defying Gravity – Sentenced to solitary confinement in their own skins”

October 15, 2009 at 11:51 AM

Someone wrote that Jen and Ted have a great deal of chemistry. I believe that’s true, but I doubt they would be good for each other. Then again, we really don’t know what makes Ted tick.

That scene where Paula goes to Wass for comfort was so nice. He became a man in that scene. (I mean that in the best and most wholesome sense of the word.)

And Arnel, yeah, would did he sacrifice his leg for? Ajay?

October 15, 2009 at 1:08 PM

The only thing that I am unhappy with is that the 720p torrents stopped after episode 9.

October 15, 2009 at 4:18 PM

That’s because CTV is no longer showing. It’s only on Space, the Canadian version of SciFi network owned by CTV. Space doesn’t have an HD channel, so no HD downloads.

So now that it’s not even being shown network TV in Canada, this show is probably done for good.

October 15, 2009 at 4:41 PM

Keep in mind, it debuts in the UK this month.

October 15, 2009 at 1:33 PM

Oh and what is so hard about being in the tub? Surely it can’t be that bad.

October 15, 2009 at 5:35 PM

It’s not just a tub. It’s sensory deprivation. All your senses are muffled. It’s dark, quiet, odorless, nothing to taste. You’re submerged in body temperature water which muffles your sense of touch. Even gravity is muted because you’re floating in water.

Here’s the trick. Humans needs a constant flow of sensory stimulation. When deprived of physical sensation long enough, the brain begins manufacturing hallucinations to substitute for real ones. In real sensory deprivation experiments, the subjects often report hearing or seeing some pretty freaky stuff.

Of course, you have to ask, how can someone qualify as an astronaut when she can’t stand 45 seconds of alone time. But as far as that goes, it’s hard to see how any of these astronauts were cleared for flight. You have a doctor just beginning his withdrawal from alcohol addiction, a pregnant astronaut, an astronaut who really can’t pass the physical tests, and the rest are emotional basket cases on the verge of cracking up.

What I don’t understand, gog help me, is why I’m enjoying the series so much.

October 15, 2009 at 6:00 PM

“Of course, you have to ask, how can someone qualify as an astronaut when she can’t stand 45 seconds of alone time.” – That’s what I should have said.

One would suppose an ascan would have the proper attributes to pass with ease.

As a kid we would take turns locking each other in abandoned refrigerators, trunks, bury each other alive in foxholes, water board each other, jump off the roof with umbrellas, and take turns sticking our fingers in the light sockets of working refrigerators. By my standards the ISO tub is nothing. ;)

October 15, 2009 at 11:03 PM

“As a kid we would take turns locking each other in abandoned refrigerators, trunks, bury each other alive in foxholes, water board each other, jump off the roof with umbrellas, and take turns sticking our fingers in the light sockets of working refrigerators”

You’re very durable. You’d make a better astronaut than these soap opera characters. Landing on Venus would be child’s play for you. It’s surface is only 900° F. ;-)

None of the science on this show has been realistic. For some reason, I’m dying to see how it handles the landing on Venus. Do you think that Gamma, an organic being, is comfy down there?

October 16, 2009 at 9:41 PM

Comfy? Hmmmm. Good question.

I hope that Gamma is different in some way. It would be nice to pick up somebody/something that answers questions, and gives little tidbits about the history of the universe.

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