Rainbow Coalition
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let's start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day
Just you and me
Doubt those are the setiments of that large collection of folks we saw gathered. While not my favorite episode to date there are still some interesting things to ponder. Let’s go!Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
A children’s poem that inspired a classic book by John le Carré,. It was also mini-series starring Alec Guinness. Yeah, you know where I’m going with that: Obi Wan Kenobi.
Here is the version from A. A. Milne’s Now We Are Six:
Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief,
Or what about a cowboy, policeman, jailer, engine driver, or a pirate chief?
Or what about a ploughman or a keeper at the zoo,
Or what about a circus man who lets the people through?
Or the man who takes the pennies on the roundabouts and swings,
Or the man who plays the organ or the other man who sings?
Or What about the rabbit man with rabbits in his pockets
And what about a rocket man who's always making rockets?
Oh it's such a lot of things there are and such a lot to be
That there's always lots of cherries on my little cherry tree
The eclectic collection of “the sleepers” is introduced very early on and we find there are a whole lot more than suspected. We also learn that they also appear to be fairy representative of the various varieties of people that are referred to as the “native population.” This is not their world. Now, does that mean from something other than Earth or simply some other time of Earth? Are they even real? But I digress.
This meeting of the unconventional conventionalists (you Rocky Horror people know what I mean) is a reflection of the political convention we saw the week before with Jarvis. Just as wheeling and dealing was happening there much was happening below the surface with Sophia’s people.
I don’t wanna grow up, I’m a Toys R Us kid
Apparently not everyone wants to go home. Much like Simon was until rudely interrupted by Thomas, they have begun to settle into lives here. Starting families, no worries it seems. Interesting that they can have kids. While not clear that the kids are with the native population, this strengthens my suspicion that Sean is much more than he appears. Who are his parents? Recall my previous reference to the Sons of God having children with the Daughters of man giving rise to a new race.
Speaking of political conventions and manipulation, how many of you were thinking of The Manchurian Candidate? This, for those not familiar, is the story of a sleeper agent being controlled by a handler.
One last thought about the convention – they came two by two. Pairs. Reminds me of a certain Ark that was crucial to saving humanity. See what I did there?
1.21 gigawatts? 1.21 gigawatts? Great Scott!
In a scene that seems like eerie foreshadowing we see Thomas and Sophia go down, apparently way down, to retrieve something. Much as missile crews require two keys to launch, Thomas and Sophia need each other to retrieve their mysterious object. Thomas needs three tries to get the code right. The is reflective of the three times that Peter betrayed Jesus. Apparently quidditch sniches are not the only objects with flesh memories. The coolness of Sophia reaching into the cube cannot be overstated. It also reminds me of Dumbledore reaching for the horcrux in the cave. Is this meant to foreshadow the scene in the preview? I am going with yes.
The impression of the confrontation of Thomas with Sophia is that she would have been please with him had he shot her and carried out the plan. After all, she sent the girlfriend of one of her people to kill someone about to reveal information to the natives. More on this was gone over with the deconstruction video for the episode and can be found here.
When the “key” was retrieved, Thomas sounded like the insolate teenager, “mom, give me the key to the Delorian. Waaaah.” Where is Doc Brown when you need him?
Here Come the Rain Again, Falling on my Head like a Memory
I am curious what the other dangers at their home in addition to being barely viable? Was their home the subject of natural disaster or self-imposed issues. Climate change? The storms of Thomas’ youth – end of the world? I think there is more truth to those words than is let on. Rain drops can symbolize heaven's tears and the accompanying LIGHTENING can be seen as heaven's anger (for example, thunderbolts were the favored weapon of Zeus, etc.). Rain is a symbol for tears, sorrow, anger, cleansing, renewal, forgiveness and more -- usually on a heavenly, worldly or very large sort of personal scale.
In ancient China the not infrequent droughts were seen as divine retribution, and bone oracles from the beginning of the historical era seek to respond to the question of when rain would come. It was believed that only the proper union of the feminine principle YIN with the masculine YANG would yield rain.
An obvious comparison is the the Dune series by Frank Heibert. Here is the link that explains very well what that is all about.
Mission Improbable
Yes, here we go again. Sigh. Sean and Leila take the Magic School Bus from Georgia to Oklahoma. Somehow a young girl outwits the all-powerful Dempsey group. More like the Apple Dumpling Gang than effective and efficient operatives. The agent chasing them thru the cornfield has to be the slowest dude since Fat Albert ran the 100 yard dash. Seriously; wow.
Agent Collier, while great to see again, cannot be trusted. Where is Carter that was in her custody? The FBI cannot see official testimony in what is clearly a federal crime? What the?!? The tone of Angela (or is it Angel?) Collier telling Sean to be safe was odd. The girl that escapes manages to hitch a ride with a trucker and no one notices? “Found” at a truckstop? Come on, man! Going with it but here is my explanation.
Speaking of fail, Secret Service detail for the VP should resign. How do those people get to the Mrs. VP to threaten the children? Bad enough they lost track of Jarvis at a doctor’s office because they did not know of the other door. Sheesh.
One of the most telling statements was from Sophia (aka wisdom) that they could have left that prison at any time. Hmmmm. Also, who else was feeling the Star Trek Prime Directive vibe during her speech to the insurgents of her people. Like Kirk, Thomas sorta ignored the part about advancing technology.
What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on here?
We learned a bit more about the creepy kids. Some of the girls are like Abbey and appear to have aged. Some interesting clues:
Triangle on the vial – The triangle can symbolize, among other things, birth (renewal), Death (closure) and life (transcendence) in the Celtic culture. Way more than you ever wanted to know about triangles can be found here.
Triangles also = Illumination which leads to Illuminati.
Two triangles create a hexagram. So what, you say? There are two triangles on the vial. Hexagram was found in the ruins of the temple of Solomon. Guess who relates to that place? Yes, Freemasons.
"The interlacing triangles or deltas symbolize the union of the two principles or forces, the active and passive, male and female, pervading the universe... The two triangles, one white and the other black, interlacing, typify the mingling of apparent opposites in nature, darkness and light, error and truth, ignorance and wisdom, evil and good, throughout human life."
—33rd Degree Freemasons Albert G. Mackey and Charles T. McClenachan quoted from Codex Magica by Texe Marrs
The hexagram is featured within and on the outside of many Masonic temples as a decoration. The hexagram, one of the world's most ancient symbols, may have been found within the structures of King Solomon's temple, from which Freemasons are inspired in their philosophies and studies.
Abbey also mentions a really big tower that was outside of what she described was a place like a hospital. Why the heck did Leila make the leap to a water tower? That was odd. Was this a clue to another Steven King reference, The Dark Tower? My gut says yes.
Fun facts:
The first water tower west of the Mississippi is the Marston Water Tower at Iowa State University.
A modern Dark Tower.
The Chicago Water Tower - remnant of the famous fire event.
TDevil's Tower. Featured Landmark in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Isabelle – name of a theorum related to choice
Crime and Punishment
Am I, Am I still tough enough?
Feels like I'm wearing down, down, down, down, down
Is my viscousness
Losing ground, ground, ground, ground, ground?
Am I taking too much?
Did I cross a line, line, line?
I need my role in this
Very clearly defined
I need your discipline
I need your help
I need your discipline
You know once I start I cannot help myself
And now it's starting up
Feels like I'm losing touch
Nothing matters to me
Nothing matters as much
I see you left a mark
Up and down my skin, skin, skin
I don't know where I end
And where you begin
I need your discipline
I need your help
I need your discipline
You know once I start I cannot help myself
lyrics by Nine Inch Nails
Sophia's Choice
Actually, Isabelle's choice. Shinning is an ancient and powerful tool of many cultures. Shunning is the act of deliberately avoiding association with, and habitually keeping away from, an individual or group. It is a sanction against association, often associated with religious groups and other tightly knit organizations and communities. Targets of shunning can include, but are not limited to, apostates, whistleblowers, dissidents, people classified as "sinners" or "traitors" and other people who defy or who fail to comply with the standards established by the shunning group(s). It seems especially painful in this group that seems to be made up of pairs. Imagine being cut off from those that love and desire to be around forever and they are unwilling/unable to break the command.
That brings us to the second choice: maiming. Why not kill Isabelle, or rather have her kill herself, rather than allow her to live to possibly cause divisions in the future? To have Isabelle remain alive, but mutilated in a publicly visible way serves as a powerful reminder to the other members of Sophia's people to think twice before defying her orders. This is a practice that has many precedents that are mentioned in the link.
While not the action that many would have ordered, it sheds a light further into the soul of Sophia and that imperative to lead her people where they need to go whether they want to or not. This leadership action is further reinforced by the awesome parenting of her son by making him watch what she could do if he disobeyed in the future.
So, what does it all mean? We know that Sophia and her people do not belong here. Did they come here on purpose? They seem to be running from something, other than just fleeing climate change. Are they refuges from a future nuclear war? There is a large and diverse collection of people that seem to be paired up and primed to repopulate the Earth after some sort of Event.
Sit back, enjoy the ride.
Until next time...
As always I can be found on Twitter @iowa_card and started a blog here.
