Helix - Bloodlines (Ep. 8) [TV Review]

Welcome back to the weekly update regarding Helix, SyFy's continuing 'thriller.' Will we resolve anything this week, or will we simply be bombarded with more questions and more cliches? Read on.

Here, Dr. Farrgut, let me save you from this series.

I'm sad to report that we get a mixed bag this week. We get both resolutions, new mysteries, and more than enough cliches.

What is frustrating me so much about this show is that it cannot go two weeks in a row being either good or bad. It's a constant roller coaster with peaks and valleys. Up down up down up down... it gets tedious.

2.5 out of 5 stars

I'm deflating your brother....

What really drove me nuts this week was the slow pacing. The first half the episode was just tedious... then things picked up however it was a barrage of either interesting development or banal cliche. I mean the show starts off in yet another jaunt through the Air-Vent Passageways.

Jules spends an excessive amount of time unconscious.

I did laugh my ass off when at the beginning when the Vectors were crawling through the super convenient air-vent passageways, I quipped off about the fact that they were not nearly as good at duct running as Xenomorphs... and boom, we have a reference to Alien in the dinner scene right afterwards! Coincidence! Combined of course with Jules, now with silver eyes (wearing contacts finally), having an excessive appetite. A clue, of something, I can only assume. Also, Jules takes out here contacts to show her eyes to Sarah (the young CDC doctor) and fails to put them back in. Brilliant!

Excuse me, can I get you to do something extremely stupid?

Sutton in her desire to figure out why everyone thinks Jules is important, confronts her, and sees that she has silver eyes. This pisses her off, and she confronts Hatake about it... accusing him of falling for or relying on the Willis Hypothesis. I originally assume that they meant the Trivers-Williard Hypothesis, but found out after a quick search that there is actually a Willis Hypothesis. This is also known as the Age and Area hypothesis, which would have helped a bit more. Seriously... this is the best bit of information that comes up in this episode.

It was just a scratch!

That was the good stuff... well, most of it.

Now for the things that bugged the heck out of me in this episode.

- The explosive set up on the microscope was just so convoluted and required the victim to be holding the Idiot Ball. Seriously this whole segment could not advance without utter and absolute idiocy and obliviousness.
- Of course that whole scene was fueled by Science Hero! It was easy too, just convince the guards to go and get you some chemical supplies, then build a bomb! Really?!
- The discussion with Sutton and Hatake covering the eventual rule of the world starts to tread dangerously near a Grim Up North motif. Villians seem to breed where it is either very cold or very hot.
- LRAD conveniently in the labs. I don';t care about any explanations they give. It's an LRAD in the labs.
- Also super convenient: Hatake's magic knockout needle. He's bound to a chair, Jules unties him, and boom. Stabbity and pass out, Jules goes down yet again to Hatake's needle work.
- No Gloves in the Artic: Lets go out in the arctic circle without gloves and operate a freezing cold snowmobile. Thank you Global Warming, I'm glad the arctic is so temperate.
- Sutton possesses Accelerated Healing. She's no Wolverine, but she heals very fast. Considering that in Survivor Zero (ep.7) she was dremeling her teeth, I guess this is not a reach. This is just an added factor in the silver eyed super human thing going on... at least make up is easier.

At least we revisit the White Room, which is just cool. Getting your own jar in the Head Museum, what an honor. I also looked up what the company's name might mean: Ilaria is the Italian version of Hilarious, which in English would be Hillary (Hilary, male version). This then moves into Greek eventually ending up at  ἵλαος (hilaos), meaning "propitious, gracious". So, there's that. Combined with Sutton's talk about 'authoring a second history,' 'changing the world,' and the fact that she and Hatake seem to be trying to be (or are) some type of super-humans... all I can say is that if this starts wandering into either 'Aliens Did It' or 'God / Angels Did It' territory I'm going to get real pissed.

This show is strange, and from week to week the quality is inconsistent. I'm also really tired of the Soundtrack Dissonance. It was cute in the beginning, but it has begun to wear. I would love it if Helix would just produce two episodes back to back that were really good. 

I'll have another Helix review next friday, late. I've gotta watch it before I can either exclaim in joy, or complain in sorrow.

To check out my reviews of previous Helix Episodes click below:
- Eps. 1 & 2: Pilot and Vector
- Ep. 4: Single Strand
- Ep. 5: The White Room
- Ep. 6: Aniqatiga
- Ep. 7: Survivor Zero