(2.2) Out of the Past

(commented on by Kathryn A)

General

Cool opening - the song-clip going smoothly into the scene with the crashed U.S. Marshalls truck.

The characterisation of Angie Ferris is... interesting. She keeps on wavering back and forth, rejecting police protection, then insisting that Jim be the one protecting them, then running off to get away from the police again!

Weston sure is a psycho. He isn't stupid, though.

Interesting point... Jim's remark about kids - "if you protect them too much, they won't be prepared for the way things really are." I'm just wondering if he's quoting his father on that. It sounds like the kind of thing William Ellison might have said. Mind you, it's a very Jim-like thing to say too - face reality, face facts, no sugar-coatings on life.

I liked the "Just call me" sequence - seems to imply that Jim is accepting his senses, because he knows he'll be able to hear Blair even if he isn't nearby. And that Blair didn't think of that at first.

Aha! This is the first time Blair uses the "dial" analogy! And it was to control Jim's pain, not necessarily his senses (unless we're talking about his sense of touch, which we could be). Note that Blair gets all excited about the implications of this breakthrough - and all Jim cares about is that he feels better. Jim's a concrete kinda guy.

Characters

Jim
  • likes Santana.
  • is quick on the guilt trips (as if we didn't know that already!)
  • thinks kids shouldn't be over-protected.
  • would rather be out and about chasing bad guys than stay and protect someone from said bad guys.
  • cares more about specifics than potentials (his reaction to the pain technique)
  • takes care of himself, doesn't let people get close (hey, he admitted it!)
Blair
  • loves Angie Ferris's music.
  • is friendly and considerate with people (thanks Pam for going to her room when her mother orders her to, for example).
  • calls the phone and locks the door when he's asked to!
  • tells anthropological tales at the drop of a hat (as if we didn't know that already)
  • is great with kids! (at least, kids that he can talk to!)
  • is full of ideas (as if we didn't know that already)
Simon
  • loves Angie Ferris's music too!

Senses

Jim
  • finds the music in Angie Ferris's apartment too loud
  • hears the song over the phone and outside at the same time
  • sees the open mobile phone in the car outside the apartment building.
  • hears Weston cock his gun, comes up behind him.
  • hears the click of the rigged shotgun at the hotel.
  • feels the imprint of the writing on the message pad.
  • listens to conversation between Angie and Pam.
  • is in extraordinary pain from the gunshot wound.

Observed by:

  • Pam (loud music)
  • Blair (as usual)
  • Simon (at hotel)

Favourite Bits

Blair being anthropological.

"You have the attention span of a gerbil." That whole bit.