Hmmmm …
Do you remember me saying — was it only on Monday — that episodes 6, 7 and 8 of Outcasts had a lot of work to do … ?
Well, I did.
I know I did.
I’ve just had a another look at the post I did for episode 5.
Which I was definitely impressed by.
Episode 6, on the other hand … ?
Hmmm …
Is very much a case of for me to apply a thoughtfully sceptical ‘Hmmmm’ noise.
Episode 6, you see, caught me with something of a background hole, lets put it like that.
Picky little wossname I am, holes are things I can’t really ignore.
The opening teaser of Episode 6 sees Jack Holt’s expeditionaries out in the wilder parts of Carpathia, trying to track down a three-person XP squad squad that seems to have gone missing.
With the one surviving member that they find, Josie — in the second picture — seriously injured.
Wanting to see her kids.
And claiming to have been attacked by the ACs, the colonists’ genetically modified super-troopers, abandoned to a life in the Carpathian wilds.
»»±««
Not wanting to spoil things too much if you’ve not seen tonight’s episode, the missing Josie that returns to Forthaven at the start of the episode …
Turns out to be a hallucinatory one, akin to the realistic ones that Richard Tate is seeing of his dead children.
Something that Holt’s Expeditionaries — along with Cass and Fleur — find out at the end of the episode.
Nice big climax, there … !
»»±««
But I mentioned holes, at the start of the episode, didn’t I … ?
Oh, boy, yes … !
Let’s get to the obvious one, shall we … ?
One of the sub-plots in tonights episode … ?
Was the fact one of the missing expeditionaries has a wife in Forthaven, named Marie.
Marie spends most of the episode giving birth to the only human child seen on Carpathia in the past five years.
The reason I mention this … ?
Is that Stella — a qualified neurologist, despite being Forthaven’s Chief of Police — seems to be spending a great deal of time going to and from Forthaven’s Maternity unit.
And seems to be the key person responsible for making the decision to save either the baby or the mother, in case the birth goes wrong.
The Chief of Police.
Let me stress that again, the Chief of Police.
Granted, the Hermione Norris character is a qualified doctor: but in neurology, rather than gynæcology or obstetrics*.
And, as I’ve already stated, she’s always the head of Carpathia’s small — three person, seemingly — police-force.
The question I have … ?
Or hole I’ve spotted, I should say … ?
Where the hot-hooting heck is Forthaven’s Chief Medical officer … ?
Oh, there’s medical staff: plenty of ’em … !
But seemingly, no one in charge of those staff: despite the fact that Forthaven has a large expeditionary force that seems to get injured, once a week!
Actually, the other hole I’ve spotted …
Kind of ties into the Expeditionaries.
Well …
Them, and any one venturing outside the town of Forthaven.
You see, in last Monday’s episode, one mild annoyance for me was simply the fact the Fleur and Cass — indeed any of Forthaven’s inhabitants — would go happily tearing off into the Carpathian desert …
Without any signs of a radio.
Or phone.
Or communication device, sat-phone, two tin cans connected by string.
Or some sort of map, come to that matter. Carpathia is, after all, largely unknown: certainly to us, you’d thing President Tate would have a map of the explored areas around Forthaven in his office.
Now, I quite happily suspended disbelieve watching episode 5.
It was the best of the bunch, so far.
But something else occurred to me, watching tonights episode.
Where’s the planes?
Or helicopters … ?
Or — given that I seem to recall a throwaway line in episode 5 about the difficulty of powered flight on Carpathia — some sort of colonial jeep, for heaven’s sake!
Transport, in other words!
Everyone seems to spend a lot of time walking … !
»»±««
Just as a final piece of criticism, here … ?
And this — given the existence of recordable media — isn’t too much of a bother for me personally.
Is the change of place in the schedules.
A nine o’clock start — on whatever day of the week — is one that I find generally acceptable.
But 10•25 on a Sunday evening, for those of us who have to get up for work on a Monday … ?
Well …
I know that in its first two weeks, Outcasts scheduling played merry havoc with the Tuesday Night Movie.
On the other hand … ?
10•25 on a Sunday night … ?
There’s going to be a lot of jammed switchboards!
»»±««
Now, I know there’s probably a few people who are going to disagree with me, about all this.
No, let me rephrase that.
Aren’t going to let the holes or the scheduling bother them.
That’s their choice.
And more power to them.
But, for me personally … ?
Those holes, in particular are like a little piece of Sunday roast beef.
You know the one.
The one that’s got stuck between a couple of back teeth, where you can’t quite get to with just your tongue.
It’s going to niggle.
Episode’s 7 and 8 had better be a bloomin’ long toothpick.
| Actor | Rôle |
| Liam Cunningham | Richard Tate |
| Hermione Norris | Stella Isen |
| Daniel Mays | Cass Cromwell |
| Amy Manson | Fleur Morgan |
| Ashley Walters | Jack Holt |
| Eric Mabius | Julius Berger |
| Langley Kirkwood | Rudi |
| Michael Legge | Tipper Malone |
| Jeanne Kietzmann | Lily Isen |
| Juliet Aubrey | Josie Hunter |
| Rebekah Nathan | Stacy |
| Maddy Baskerville | Rona |
| Dylan Fourie | Dylan |
| Melissa Haiden | Marie Docherty |
| Sean Michael | Clark Johnson |
| Bongo Mbutuma | XP Hartson |
| Director | Andy Goddard |
| Producer | Radford Neville |
| Writer | David Farr |
* Says I, hoping I’ve got the correct terms, there … !
