Charlie Jade

this episode has a very interesting, even questionable sequence where reena is tortured by her mysterious captors. there's also a well-done use of the radio in these scenes. reena is tortured and toyed with in intermittent bursts of violence and confusion. every time the captors leave her cell, they leave on a radio that plays the same electric guitar elevator music, over and over.



but i'm not sure how i feel about what happens to reena in these scenes and the scenes that link to it in the next episode. For those of you who don't want to know, look out for minor spoilers ahead until the end of this paragraph: there is graphic sexual and physical violence. and at times, i'm inclined to be a bit disappointed that these scenes are more sensational than necessary. yes, we know reena's character is severely messed up by this treatment and we know that the person she becomes is very important in the developments that follow in the series. but i still feel that something is a bit off colour about these scenes. despite the really great camera work and the interesting use of the radio.

SPOILERS ARE OVER.



developments with charlie and boxer are not as questionable. charlie is on the trail of vexcor when he finds that contaminated water in and around old vexcor facilities has given people visions and psychic powers. he also learns that water is the secret to 01's movement through the universes. and the whole thing has a noir sort of x-files feel. very cool. CSI with multiple universes.



boxer is showing us what he's made of as he sabotages his rival in beta, julius galt. interesting that a character so devious and clever can also be so monumentally immature sometimes. but that's what makes him interesting.