Forcing The End...Peter Watts strikes AGAIN!

[Guest Black's Babe]

with his forked tongue, spouting half truths.

all while an innocent child's life hangs in the balance.

it was nice to see Juliet Landau, she looks just like her mother Barbara Bain.

This episode was "middle of the road" for me, nothing special.

why play "Having My Baby" that song makes me want to dry heave.

Edited March 11, 2009 by Black's Babe

[Guest quentin compson]

Average episode, with some possibly interesting Peter-Watts-sightings that turn out to be as vague as can be. Once again, religion is portrayed as something that better be avoided.

[Earthnut]

Once again, religion is portrayed as something that better be avoided.

Religions are the systems of men, with many having little spirituality, some even prostitute the Word of God. And of course, there are those who's foundation is of love.

[Guest quentin compson]

Religions are the systems of men, with many having little spirituality, some even prostitute the Word of God. And of course, there are those who's foundation is of love.

I'm afraid I'm not sure I get your post. However, I certainly wasn't trying to say that religion is something bad. It just seems to me that on Millennium, religion oftentimes is seen as something rather menacing because of the people who are portrayed as believers. You also could get the impression that the bible mainly consists of the Book of Revelation.

Don't get me wrong though, on a show that concentrates on the apocalypse as much as Millennium does, it is, of course, not that big a surprise that this particular book of the Bible is the one quoted the most often.

[Earthnut]

Quentin, no, I didn't read at all the you were "trying to say that religion is something bad."

Man has been killing man throughout time, and most of the time in the name of either their God or their country, or both. There's nothing wrong with any religion if it's foundation is of love, but too many people in religions pervert the word of God for their own personal agenda. God doesn't look for us in buildings, nor does God care what religion we are, or what traditions we follow. God looks into the spirit of man hoping to see a reflection of Himself. It's a personal relationship, not a religious one.

MLM really is strong into prophecy and the apocalypse, and even the group has 2 different factions. I agree, most of the time it is the people portrayed as believers that makes religion menacing. And then people turn around and blame God. Perfect example as to why it is said that we shouldn't discuss religion or politics. Here at the forum, we discuss everything.

[Sigil]

EN, you leave out one other cause of the mass inhumanity to fellows of the species. Money. I think greed trumps the other reasons. For a sufficient sum, most men seem to be able to be convinced of anything. Invading that country is the RIGHT thing to do says the media machine and we buy in (I am NOT talking about specifics here.) and it feels like patriotism, but it is actually about resources, or geographic locations (and thier strategic or symbolic importance), or cheap labor.

Religion can also be a convienient cover for the greedy and here it is even easier to hide...

I do wonder if you oversymplify the relationship with the divine. If God is real, then what is his purpose? If He is who the books say He is, (and the silimarities, at least in the world religions are very compelling!) then why are we? I posit that we are, because He wants us to be like Him. Any loving parent I have ever known wants more for thier children than they have. If He is perfect, then the best we can do is match Him, and I am sure this is His desire for us. So the building might not be important, but building the edifice might be teaching us about sacrifice, or follow-through or a million other lessons that He has for us as He makes us into what He sees we can be.

I think He very much cares how we worship and what we do in His name. If it is harmful, or wasteful, or does not further His goals, I do not think it would be pleasing to Him at all.

Or He is a fairytale, and our only purpore is to fulfill our genetic imperetive.

(I am not trying to start a flame war, and if my post is too provovactive, I will remove it or invite the mods to do so.)

[IHaveGoodInstincts]

One of the things that drew me to Millennium was what I consider a fair-handed balance on religious issues. Like a few other issues, religion (defined a variety of ways) tends to be "hot button" and provoke significant emotional responses among people. Forcing The End has been critiqued as not being very religiously accurate, but other episodes like Covenant, Somehow Satan, and Maranatha do a decent job of addressing religious issues in a fair and more accurate manner.

[ethsnafu]

Agreed and I think that as well as case of the accuracy of the religious themes presented by "Forcing The End" it's also a case of subtly they are presented. When you watch "Somehow Satan Got Behind Me" religious thinking is touched upon without the viewer realising that those moments of exposition are there. There are truths in that episode that are subtly delivered, they are their for the finding of. In "Forcing The End" when a religious analogy is presented (as in the final scenes of Hollis atop the building the baby) bible narratives are read out in voice-over with the camera connecting the dots for us just in case we are missing the allusions on screen. It's not bad story-telling but it is a little ham fisted. I would much preferred for that scene to have spoken for itself. I don't think it needed the commentary.

That said, it's a very bleak and very well realised episode like almost all of Millennium.

Eth