Believe - 1.09-1.12 Summary & Series Review

After watching the final four episodes of what is now a series, it's even more of a shame that Believe was put in this unfair midseason time slot and was canceled. What transpired over the last quarter proved that this was a show that had so much more potential.

Episode 1.09 "Prodigy" picks up right after episode 1.08, in which Channing had been captured by Skouras after blocking Bo's electromagnetic signature by installing a chip in their computer system and where Skouras also happened to pick up another signature from a young woman named Danni, who seemed to be living in condemned conditions.

It's this episode through both the story with Channing and Danni that climatically gives the following three episodes a strong finish, as the last three episodes side-step a story of the week for a more serialized story line, where Winter and Roman are eventually forced to work together, but not before a showdown between the two men, which results in Channing being shot, Danni becoming ill like many of the other kinetic beings hanging out at Orchestra, and where Tate allows for Bo to call her own shots with little resistance, including going to Roman himself.


What was great about these last episodes was seeing a lot more complexity and similarities between Roman and Winter. With Roman it's no secret that he treads on the unethical all the time, but despite that the second season would have unleashed his second secret Project to viewers, it was nice to see that all of his power hungry pursuits only lead to the ruin of Orchestra itself. For Winter, whom I think despite only wanting what's best for Bo and trying his best to protect her over the years, has shown a more unethical side in his own beliefs from time to time, but not taking Channing to hospital straight away really proves just how far he's willing to go too.

I also enjoyed episode 1.10 "Collapse". It was nice to finally catch up with Agent Elizabeth Farrell again and for Bo to be compelled and fated to save her and her daughter Socha from a bomb left at the subway, although I always like that Bo constantly finds herself concerned about her abilities and the realization that people do get hurt around her, despite that most of the time it is not her fault. I felt from early on that Farrell and Tate may become love interests and even though this episode didn't accumulate to that possibility, it's easier to see given that Farrell does finally let Tate go after he saved her life from the chase with the bomber that she is at least struggling with morality and duty and I would suspect that in the future she would be more apt to help them and eventually get closer to them.

Danni was another a great choice to introduce in the last batch. For all of the other kinetic beings, Danni is a character that tends to stick out. Her lack of control of her emotions and tragic past just felt right being the lynch pin to force Bo to grow and have an opportunity for Bo to be with both her parents together and also reflect what happens when one is left without nurturing and left alone too long. And looking back at earlier episodes, do I think there were hints leading up to Danni and her fire-tornado all along! In episode 1.06 "Sinking" Bo drew a fire-breathing dragon as a metaphor for the boat explosion! In episode 1.07 "Bang & Bamg" Bo's extrapolations after getting sick and falling into a coma had her going through her memories that revealed the past in healing and saving Channing, but also her fears manifested into a chimney-smoke-moster!

By having the last few episodes be more serialized it also improved on other things some of the earlier episodes lacked, which was how to generate some suspense. Believe never needed to be a mystery show per say, but considering it does have a cat & mouse-like structure to it, it would have benefited from not explaining and going back over itself as often as it did and allow the audience to debate with themselves and share in the wonders of Bo. In addition the other characters outside of Bo and Tate started to finally feel more part of the universe, as the focus became more on Roman, Winter, Channing, and Zoe.

I also loved the ending. By having Nina appear to Bo and the mysterious butterfly, which I'm now starting to think was Nina all along, was seen by both Bo and Tate, who follow it to Orchestra where Nina tells Bo she has to be strong now and save Danni. Bo takes both her parent's hands and it gives her the strength to go inside Danni's firenado. Just by touching Danni, she's able to give Danni what she's been craving, --words of love and forgiveness beyond the grave from her brother. Orchestra burns down around Roman, but Danni is saved, Winter walks away, Channing is healing, and Bo and Tate begin to start to their lives by themselves together with the butterfly never far behind.

And for anyone who might be wondering how the season ends and if the series is worth their time, I will say that it ends in a good place and on a good note without any major cliffhangers, but a few loose ends that would have brought us into the second season --and for Johnny Sequoyah and Jake McLaughlin alone, it was worth the watch. Johnny Sequoyah is a young actress to be on the look out for! Believe was a charming heart-warming series about family, weaponization of people, problem children, saving and finding ourselves by helping others, and dealing with fate! On the down side it has some execution problems, some occasional far-fetched plots, and some plot holes, but made up for it with a decant cast and interesting concept.



So how about you? Did you like the end of the series? Do you wish it had a second season? Any favorite moments or theories out there? Let us know in the comments below!


Bad Robot Factor:
Each week after my review I will bring this section relating to many things Bad Robot in relationship to the episode, as I feel certain Bad Robot often makes a point to reference themselves with similar characters, subject matter, riffs, easter eggs, aesthetics, contrasting situations, & occasionally shared pop cultural references. So this section is to explore the possibility of those things, which may provide some and insight speculation and at the very least food for thought and/or trivia. I also think it's just fun to be able to reminisce!

Subject #...

The series has had a lot of things reminiscent to Fringe including that theses people with kinetic abilities, like Cortexiphan Subjects, tend to demonstrate things that are in some way problematic for them or the people they care about. Danni in particular was reminiscent to the telepath Simon Philips, seemed emotionally unstable like Nick Lane, and ends up having something comparable to stage four cancer like the cancer-giving James Heath!

Note: Simon Philips was featured in the episode "Concentrate and Ask Again" that revealed a government sponsored weapons program called Project Jellyfish. Olivia Dunham (as a child) and Cortexiphan subject Sally Clarke were also like Danni in being pyrokinetic! Fringe directly references Stephen King's Fire Starter, but I think Believe also alludes to it as well.

Hope Will Light The Way!

Subway tunnels and characters being burred/ trapped in a cave or underground ("The Moth", "Tuesday", "All the Time in the World")  are also familiar things to see, but "Collapse" in particular seemed to wink at Revolution episode, "Kashmir", which in itself winks to Alias episode, "The Passage Pt. 2".  Bo also demonstrates a new ability that allows for particles of light like little fireflies to help light the way out! Both Revolution and Believe have promos with the log line, "Hope Will Light The Way" and Revolution's mythology featured nanites, in which looked like little fireflys and in themselves may go back to a Fringe concept with the Observers about still being limited about knowing outcomes and not always seeing all the variables. A missing track off of Violet Sedan Chair's Seven Suns Album is titled Green Mana.

Additionally "Collapse" may also reference Fringe episode "Bad Dreams" too which starts out with Olivia seeing herself murder a mother in the subway station! Music, equations, and magic particles play to many of Bad Robot's works on metaphysics, fate, and course correcting concepts. In Believe there are a few times like in "Prodigy" where we see Bo deal with course correction herself by dealing with visions, premonitions, and/or extrapolations of herself and reality...

And lastly if FBI Agent Farrell were to become a love interest to Tate, it would be similar to FBI agent Olivia Dunham falling for Peter Biship when one considers despite being more technologically savy than Tate, Peter Bishop began the series as a bit of a criminal or con man.

About the Author - Darthlocke4

Laura Becker (Darthlocke 4) is a long time commentator, TV addict, and aspiring writer participating with other fans on SpoilerTV. She writes reviews and analytic type articles. Some of her other interests include philosophy, cultural anthropology, reading, drawing, and working with animals, as she grew up and continues to work on her family's horse farm.

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