Helix - Black Rain (Ep.11) [TV Review]

Welcome back to yet another issue of 'Helix as it Happens!'
Again today I'll be working on this post as the episode airs.
Why? I've got Super XV Rugby this evening I want to watch, and so I need to get this down and out. Remember this is written as the episode play, so if you read while watching a rerun, that wouldd probably be the best way to enjoy my insanity.


Lets begin.

Item one, the Vectors are getting smart. Too smart. They are trapping humans. Peter is definitely becoming something new. His head looks like a ripe melon.

I just can't choose between all these guns!

However there may be bigger problems. Ilaria knows that Constance is out of communication, so they are sending in the troops. Hatake just conveniently happens to have what appears to be at least 16 high explosive charges?! Well isn't that convenient.

And resolving last weeks plot element, a spinal fluid transfer from Jules to Sarah is shrinking Sarah's tumor. The question is this: will Sarah become an immortal?

And back to Hatake setting charges.

Wait, what? A Viral collective? Dr. Farragut is blue skying science today. Good.
Also, he is bad with sizes. An army according to Farragut is at least 100 individual mercenaries. At least Farragut has the right reaction to Hatake having explosives.

Vector vision resembles looking through a bowl of thin jiggling jello, at green glow-stick smeared humans. It's all very odd - and honestly not necessary. We did not need to see through monster-cam.
HA! The base blue prints look closer to old Doom level builders than I could have imagined.

Remember last week when Jules kept the Narvik virus, despite Farragut thinking it had been tossed in the fire? Good, cause Jules is doing something sneaky with the virus. This bodes not well at all... so I declare.

And now, seriously Helix, must we have blurry-shake-o-cam? I know that we are with the Vectors, but for the love of science fiction, stop with the monster cam. It is no good... it is distracting and irritating. Maybe your going to a disconcerting feel, but this is just awful.

Enjoy a Triptych.

Oh, burn. That was a good line. "You're no better than Hatake!" I am enjoying Farragut being actually pissed off at people for carrying the idiot ball.

The Vectors are practicing medieval medicine. They are bleeding each other... any guesses as to what this is all about? Faster viral spread or Creepy for the sake of Creepy? You guess is as good as mine.

Daniel / Miksa learns that Jules is Hatake's daughter. Since he is Hatake's adopted son, there is more than a small feeling of betrayal shown in Daniel / Miksa's eyes. Pretty solid acting there. Honestly, he's getting to be one of the stronger characters in the show, and perhaps one of the better actors in it. Hatake remains the best, but that was obvious. Hiroyuki Sanada is just so good at the devious bastard characters.

Back to the Vectors. So before they were being bled, now the blood packets are being drained into the fire suppression system. And boom. The last of the uninfected scientists are covered in Vector blood. The Vectors are very smart. Very.

Crap. Farragut has the idiot ball. Everyone else is infected. Ilaria is going to invade. Hatake has the right answer: Blow them ALL up together. Two problems solved. But no... Farragut has a solution. He wants to save everyone. Oh good...

Daniel / Miksa is a hidden inventor, that's new.
Using Daniel / Miksa's invention Hatake and Jules set off the cure the Vectors. They first encounter Peter Lord of the Vectors and cure him. It seems to work, he begins to spasm and vomit black viral-blood-goo. Unfortunately the other Vectors are not to happy about this, and perhaps Hatake's and Jules' immunity to Vector attack is not strong enough to stop them this time. We'll see after these advertisements. It's obvious we're coming to the end of the season. The cure certainly seems to be working...

But what of Farragut and the explosives detonator?
Also, still waiting to see if Sarah is going to end up with silver eyes.

Oh good, give Farragut an M-16.

With the cure going so well, what is going to take up the next two episodes. Oh, yeah... Ilaria has to arrive and assault the base. I will be avoiding any and all references to bases belonging to anyone.
So, Drone snowmobile bombs, eh? That's just weird. Real weird. And of course we then get an obligatory scene with three 'people' marching forward with strong light behind them casting dramatic shadows.

Hatake warns them, "He's here." Who? 'The Scythe.' Nice handle.
He does his job well. Enter elevator, with 10 or so people. Leave with those people laying in a growing pool of their own blood. No screams.




And finally Sarah's eyes go silver. I've been waiting. I mean we knew it was coming... it was telegraphed.But the payoff has finally arrived.

How to walk in a cliche.

Let me also say, I do not like whoever is playing the Scythe. The voice and expression just immediately felt wrong. What a terrible way to end a slightly above average episode.

And now, the rating:

3.5 out of 5 stars

I'm being a touch generous, but over all the episode was good. I'm sad to see the Vectors go. Smart zombies were kinda cool. 

 Previous Helix Reviews:
-Eps. 1 & 2: Pilot and Vector- Ep. 4: Single Strand
- Ep. 5: The White Room
- Ep. 6: Aniqatiga
- Ep. 7: Survivor Zero
- Ep. 8: Bloodlines 
- Ep. 9: Level X
- Ep. 10: Fushigi