Emma

[Earthnut]

I so have to find some time to read the virtual seasons, then maybe I can contribute more to the conversations.

Despite all of our best of intentions it is easy to behave around people with dementia as they are not truly there.

Eth

I totally agree. People in comas have come out of them and said while in they could hear people talking to them and about them, but unable to respond.

I honestly don't believe Emma would have become a member of the group if it hadn't been for her father's illness. I believe she would have supported and followed Frank to the ends of the earth as long as he was working and putting away bad guys and gals. I feel she trusted Frank more then anyone else.

[IHaveGoodInstincts]

I know I'm probably trying to inject a level of conspiracy back into "Darwin's Eye," but I can not help but to wonder if James Hollis had some level of knowledge of the Millennium Group, given his displeased reaction towards Emma at the end. If he was unaware of the Group, I would assume that he would have been thankful to Andy McClaren's "FBI family men."

James Hollis seemed to know something more to be so angry at being healed.

Or maybe James just knows cult propaganda when he sees it?

But what a powerful cult.....with a real miracle!

[ethsnafu]

I think James Hollis was simply being rationale when his cognitive functions returned. If you had returned from the breach with augmented mental functions after surgical procedure conducted not a medical facility per se but at the hands of strange group of individuals known collectively as The Millennium Group, a group that is able to affect a cure in a condition that baffles even the greatest minds of conventional medical science you might have reason to think something unusual had occurred without necessarily having to have had any working knowledge of those behind the cure. There's also an implication that the Millennium Group caused the disease that James Hollis suffered from and it is implied that he blames Emma for this prior to the cure when he states that 'you did this, you little bitch. I'll kill you, I swear!' before spitting in her face. So, I got the impression not that he was necessarily wrapped up in Millennium Group conspiracy or had any sort of history of them but was simply aware that he had suffered at their hands and was aware that his daughter was part and parcel of it somehow.

Actually the more I think about it the more I'm not sure what I think. I can conceive of a number of possible explanations as to what he was referring to and why.

I guess we needed a season four right?

Eth

[Guest evil]

My take on hollis is confusing, First of all, I think she's another reason why the producers felt it would get the ratings higher. Let's bring in another quality of x files into the show. YOu see, in season two, they brought in the conspiracy,the computer nerd, the ratings were still not very good, now let's bring in the skeptic female companion. I didn't think she had a lot of personality. I did love Lara means, she was funny interesting and should of stayed the sidekick, which was a replacement for Peter Watts, who I thought should of stayed the sidekick. He brought difference between the two shows, he wasn't skeptical, and was by far, mysterious, smart, good hearfted and fun. Yes, the first season remains my favorite. I thought it was the best season of a show ever!I loved the mystery and darkness that surrounded each episode. IT was evil itself that Frank was taking on and it was brillliant.

Back to emma, I guess she was the tool to lure Frank in, even if he still declines, they gain another body who's smart and lots of knowledege of investigation.

she also has had her confrontations with evil through Frank and was learning and she also went through some tragedy as a child which may be some kind of psychological profile that

the group needed.

The third season tried to get back a little on the first season's bandwagon and for a few episodes and did really did a good job.

sorry about the rant, I'm a wounded soldier from the first season, but I did give you some thoughts, I hope ..........

[Earthnut]

Actually the more I think about it the more I'm not sure what I think.

Eth

That's describes me perfectly.

James Hollis did almost kill Emma, he had a gun pointed at her head.

Do we have a commentary or interview anywhere with the writer about this episode and part of the storyline? If not, wow, it would be great thing to listen to or read.

[ethsnafu]

Not as far as I know Darlene but I'd be fascinated to know how much of what we saw was in the fine details of the overall arc of the season or caused by the decision to take it off air. Depending on who you speak to they were aware the show was cancelled whilst still in the writing stages of the final episodes and they have completed work when the axe fell. Obviously the passage of time has left people with different recollections. I suspect a lot of what goes down in the final two episodes was brought about by a rush to conclude the show and had it gone on we might have had more insight into James Hollis and what, exactly, was the nature of the condition and the cure that he was exposed to.

Eth

[IHaveGoodInstincts]

Well, I guess like many other aspects of work involving Chris Carter, things could have either been left open, or perceived to be open for use later.

I just thought I would throw a few questions out there to churn those Millennial brain cells!

[ethsnafu]

I wonder if the original character profile for Emma Hollis would have proven more successful than the Emma Hollis that made it to the screen? I know the original thinking was introduce Lara 2.0 and have a character who shared with Frank a facility of her own thought this was to be a super-deductive mind akin to Frank's own. She was also to have been a former lover of Barry Baldwin although this was also abandoned.

I know we touched, briefly, upon Emma in the Skype group last night as we were reviewing "Human Essence" and the subject of AD Hollis was touched upon again. It was asserted, as I mentioned here, that some still feel her arc goes much too quickly from unpolished Agent to sought after Assistant Director. If the character had have been given a mind as brilliant as Franks and one that simply needed a little refining under his tutelage it might have been more satisfying in terms of giving credence to why she was seemingly being coveted by all and sundry towards the end of season despite being, in my opinion, a fairly unremarkable person.

Eth

[IHaveGoodInstincts]

Interesting information about "Lara 2.0" !

I do think that putting the same or similar Lara characteristics into a different character would seem like more of a cop-out and not be as original. But then again, with sharp writing.........

Emma did seem to go from 0 to 60mph (I believe that's about 100kph for my British brethren) a bit quicker than most! I do think that the Group may have been able to see a little further into the potential of Emma than most (beyond the usual power play), but I realize that is a hind-sighted observation on my part.

The "loose ends" regarding James Hollis just recently seemed to make me wonder and paint out my own backstory. Emma did play "Spot the spy" with him! I haven't read far enough into virtual season 4 to see what happened there, but I hear that he's in there.

[ethsnafu]

I agree that a Lara 2.0 approach would have had to have been done extremely well or it would simply beg the question 'why not just use Lara 1.0' - there would have had to been enough of a difference between the two to have made sense to the viewers.

If it was decided that Frank had to have had a regular partner for the third season, a Scully to his Mulder if you will, then I still would have liked to have seen that person be Barry Baldwin. The reason the Mulder/Scully dynamic works so well is because they have such opposing views which is perfect for imbuing that relationship with energy and vigour. In the case of Emma she was largely receptive to Frank insofar as she saw a great opportunity to learn from a widely respected investigator which did have a touch of Robin/Batman about it. Having a character who was antagonistic to Frank, self serving in his approach but one who reluctantly grew to hold a begrudging respect for him might have had more zing about it and I thought Peter and Lance had an interesting onscreen chemistry. I know people assert that Emma's problem was a lack of a well defined personality but I've always thought it to be a lack of a chemistry between Frank and Emma which despite Lance and Klea having a great rapport offscreen doesn't really translate on it.

Eth