(3) - MECHANICS (3.1) - How are the strange colors in the VR sequences done? The following is from a FOX press release , via Todd Palino . For the "visual landscapes" in VR.5, there are two key components -- computers and colors. In a sense, the computer is another character in the series. To produce the visual effects, special screen savers have been designed that allow movement through or with the images on the monitor. Almost like a CD-ROM program, different icons can be used to feature different screens. These screen elements are composited in a digital-editing bay, transferred to 24 frames-per-second film and then played back live on the show's stage as the camera rolls. With this process, the real-life action is synchronized with the action on the computer screen. The other key component in creating VR.5's one-of-a-kind visual landscape is color. After a scene is shot -- using 35mm color film -- the frame rate is changed and the film is then converted to black and white. This film is sent to CST Entertainment, which builds "art stills," one frame for every single cut shot. With this, every angle of the shot can be given a different component: a blue sky can be turned yellow, green bushes can become turquoise, a brown table can be colored red. This gives VR.5 a look unlike any other show. To complete one show, this process takes four weeks. (3.2) - In "Escape," what were the shows that were parodied in Duncan's VR sequences? Lokeria lists "The Avengers," James Bond, "The Maltese Falcon," and Sherlock Holmes. Speculation is that these shows came out of media influences because Duncan was contacting his own mind. Lisa Cunningham said: I assumed that Duncan was purposely calling forth those media influences - they are all agents, investigators. He is trying to gear his mind toward the manner in which they would think so that he can logically reason the problem out and lace the clues together to find Syd. I felt it was intentional in Duncan's part. (3.3) - In "Escape," did the sequence at the beginning really happen? No. (Also see section 3.4.) The sequence with Sydney's "escape" took place completely in VR. (3.4) - Why was the beginning sequence of "Escape" letterboxed? (Contributors to this answer include David Homerick , , and Dave Kliman .) Because movies are shot with pictures of a larger width than that of a standard TV set, "letterboxing" is a technique that is used to preserve the aspect ratio of the pictures when a movie is broadcast on TV. The viewer sees two wide black areas to the top and bottom of the screen, and the movie takes place between these areas. The entire first segment was a VR experience that Sydney and Duncan were having. The letterboxing was a clue showing that what was happening wasn't real. In effect, it was putting quotation marks around that part of the show. When the VR experience ended, the letterboxing did, too. made this comment, which can apply to the Committee, or to the VR sequences that seem real but really aren't: However, I feel compelled (not really by way of argument, but more by way of synchronicity) to relate a quote from a book by Carl Djerassi that we just read for class. While under the influence of mescaline, he makes the comment that he feels layers of his protective personality peeling away like the skin of an onion and that soon he'd get to the truth of his being. His wife notes, "You've obviously never peeled an onion. There's nothing left when you've finished peeling." VR.5 makes us ask a lot of questions, and it's unwise to take *anything* for granted in the show. (3.5) - What do the episode titles mean? All of the following is complete speculation, based on the events in each episode. 1. Pilot (May have been titled "VR.5.") It's the start to the series. Sydney surprises herself with her ability to go into VR.5. 2. Dr. Strangechild References the teenage genius that Sydney has to find. 3. Love & Death Sydney appears to be attracted to Jackson Booth (in VR); Booth kills Dr. Frank Morgan. 4. 5D Dr. Morgan's cryogenically preserved casket was numbered "5D." (From Stanley, "Spokesman for the Committee" .) 5. Escape Sydney is kidnapped by the Committee; Duncan helps her escape. 6. Facing the Fire (There are two separate instances of Sydney "facing the fire" here; take your pick.) A. Sydney has to face the fact that her father (according to Oliver Sampson) was a member of the Committee. She tries to burn the book with strange symbols that belonged to her father. Previously in the episode, she'd hallucinated (?) that the book had caught on fire. Jeff Kramer sent this explanation of the apparent hallucination: She was lying on her bed looking throught the book and daydreaming when she apparently hallucinated that The book cought on fire. This could be an outward representation of the coverup put upon her earlier in life (Since the pilot had the same symptoms.) Fire seems to be associated with breaking out, or something. Well, that's that... B. The military test pilot kept hallucinating that his plane was on fire when it wasn't. And Lisa Cunningham adds: The test pilot's hallucination of fire is shown to be related to guilt in his own mind. Is Syd's hallucination of her father's journal on fire an extension of that? (Robert DeLisle and Tom G. contributed.) 7. Simon's Choice Simon, a man who betrayed his country, is to die in the gas chamber. His son, Ky, whom he saved, decides not to help him. Ky is angry at his father because Simon betrayed his country. Sydney's assignment is to find out why Simon *chose* not to fight the charge of treason. Please also see section 3.6 for another take on why this title is what it is. (Thanks to David Homerick , who corrected my errors here.) 8. Control Freak (There are a few possibilities here.) A. Kyril, a former air traffic controller (a "freak?") takes over the control tower at an airport. B. The title might refer to the "freak" disturbance in control at towers across the nation, when radar screens stopped working and equipment overloaded. C. The simplest answer is often the correct one. Robin Miller suggested that "Control Freak" simply meant what it means in normal usage: an expression describing a person (Kyril) who's obsessed with controlling others. D. Lisa Cunningham suggests another possibility; I have another one though I think it might be a bit of a stretch: How about Oliver as the control freak? He is shown to be very much in control in this episode and he seems to believe or is trying to convince himself that he has things tightly under control in general but as the episode and later episodes reveal, it is all unravelling, spinning out of his control as he realizes that he's been "used" like Syd. It may be the first time that he acknowledges that he has "lost control" of the situation, that he may never have possessed control over his own destiny at all. I also feel that this is the first episode that puts Oliver in really tight focus and starts treating him as sympathetic and shows that he is as manipulated as Syd. Since the focus is fully on Oliver and his story/past for the first time, it is possible the title refers to him. 9. The Many Faces of Alex The title refers to the many personalities that Alex, a spy, was able to take on. Alex said that VR.8 was used to put Samantha's personality in her head. (See section 6.6.) 10. Reunion (season finale) Sydney was reunited with Samantha for most of the episode; Nora Bloom was saved by Sydney, too late for both to be reunited. 11. Send Me An Angel Samantha Bloom appears to the little girl to be an angel as she saved the girl from the fire. 12. Sisters Janine and Syd develop a close relationship in the VR sequences - almost sister-like. Also, this relationship allows Syd to examine her ties to her believed-dead sister Sam. 13. Parallel Lives The characters in the alternative universe created by Doctor Bloom's VR world closely parallel reality, right down to similarly placed dialogue. (3.6) - What are some clever symbols the writers put in the show? SYMBOL: When Dr. Morgan was first introduced, we thought we could see him in the mirror, talking to Sydney, when in fact he was to the side and unseen. LINK: The Wizard of Oz (in the movie of the same name) used similar tricks. Also, Frank Morgan was the name of the actor who played the Wizard of Oz in the movie. (Thanks to Chris Canary and Lisa Cunningham for contributng here.) SYMBOL: Jackson Booth killed Dr. Morgan outside a movie theater. The movie playing at the theater was called "Our American Cousin." LINK: Actor John Wilkes Booth (1838-1865) assassinated U.S. President Abraham Lincoln during a performance of "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theatre on 14 April 1865. (Thanks to Andrea Aldridge for her correction of my paragraph above.) SYMBOL: Sydney found Jackson Booth again, late at night and hiding in the home of Dr. Honeycutt. Booth had just killed Honeycutt. LINK: Federal troops found John Wilkes Booth hiding in a barn in Virginia (U.S.), where he was shot and killed. (Thanks to Chris Canary for suggesting this link.) Chris Canary discovered other symbols in VR.5 episodes. He wrote: _when we first see Sampson, there is a consistent Jawbone present...now, i don't remember the Bible very well, but, wasn't Samson associated with the Jawbone of Mannas (sp?)? ...The music Morgan was listening to, in the scene with music before he died, wasn't that...I don't know the specific name, but, I believe a friend referred to it as the Death Ode from M. Butterfly. Edith Weil watched closely to "The Many Faces of Alex" and noticed a subtle mention of the "Taster's Choice" coffee brand: Regarding The Many Faces of Alex... Did anyone else notice exactly what kind of instant coffee she made for AleX when he was drunk and passed out in her apartment??? The shape of that container is unmistakeable--and they kept cutting back to it as she scooped more and more in... Yes, by God, Tasters Choice!!!!!!!! For those who have been hiding in a cave somewhere, Sydney's Committee contact after the third episode, Oliver Sampson (Anthony Head) played the neighbor in the "Taster's Choice" commercials. Tom Scalf observed that in "The Many Faces of Alex," an Amtrack train ran through the station. I don't know how it links into anything, but it's interesting! He wrote: Is that why they had an Amtrak train running through an East German train station(-; Nitpickers time. In the first train station sequence, Sampson went running up a ramp to the track platform looking for Alex. As he emerges on the platform, a train is pulling in (or out) in the background. It is very clearly silver with a red, white and blue stripe down the side just under the windows. Classic Amtrak paint job. David Shaler decided that there was some hidden meaning in having Oliver Sampson sitting on the skylight: Alot of hidden meaning in this episode. I don't know what it was but I know it was there. For example, Oliver sitting on the skylight. There was meaning there. I just haven't figured it out yet. Terri Ann stretched the symbolism a bit in trying to explain the meaning: Seriously -- maybe the glass represented the kind of danger that has always been a part of his life, but he's grown so used to it that he doesn't care for his own well being anymore...like being on thin ice, but loving the thrill of skating on it so much that you don't care about falling through. It would certainly tie in with what he said when Syd was bandaging him up, about not being able to exit the game (getting off the skylight) because it would mean being human again (caring about his own existence). Another clever symbol, from Iteach1991 : Did anyone else catch the phone # on the big telephone said AV (Avengers) -6880? Wasn't The Avengers on from 1968-1980? Joannie 40 replied: I saw it too, and thought to myself it was a salute to a line of multi-media computers that have "AV" in their name. But your reference to The Avengers makes much more sense, of course! Another, from RavvitEars : Because I'm a big Mary Tyler Moore fan, my favorite pastiche for Duncan was the Richard Diamond sequences with Lori Singer as the telephone operator in shadow. MTM used to play Sam on that show and all you ever saw of her were her legs! I'm not sure a slacker like Duncan would have been familiar with the show since it was back in the fifties, but I'm glad the writers remembered it! The writers love it when we see this stuff. Members of the VR.5 production team posted: If you have any other questions let us know. Your response has been greatly appreciated and we are all very excited and thrilled that you notice our flair for detail... (i.e. AV-6068; the play on the marquee, Frank Morgan from OZ etc.) And Delfar7 has this to say about "Simon's Choice:" The title itself is another in joke of sorts. After watching this ep, I went back and saw the title. It's a play on the title of a book (and movie adaption thereof) called Sophie's Choice. The book is about a woman during WWII who must choose which of her children will go to the gas chamber and which one will live. She can only choose one. The decision haunts her for the rest of her days. It not hard to see the parallels between this and Simon's choice between his son or his friends. Pretty hard choices in both stories. Chris Canary noticed in "The Many Faces of Alex" that, when Oliver stumbled into the loft, he was in front of Sydney's poster of "Vertigo." (See section 1.4.) (3.7) - What bloopers have been discovered in the show? Theresa Smith <96958609@wsuvm1.csc.wsu.edu> pointed out this inconsistency in "Simon's Choice:" Just a little thing I noticed on VR5 tonight. The beginning flashback was to 1989 and on the courtroom wall was a picture of the President - Clinton. (Bill Clinton was President of the United States at the time the show was taped. George Bush was President in 1989, at the time of the flashback.) A scene in "The Many Faces of Alex" was a little humorous, according to David Shaler : Are there palm trees in Germany?? I'm asking this because in the scene in "The Many Faces of Alex" when Oliver runs out of the train station yelling at Alex, there is a palm tree in the background. Continuity errors in "Simon's Choice?" SwagSu says so: <> I caught that one also. There was several continuity problems with the 4/28 show. 1. Simon said 5 years the invester guy said 6 years. 2. Simon said on the phone he didn't know the guy in the towers name (even though he really did) but then the cop at the tower called him by name. Even with these I still say this was the best episode so far I'm sure they're going to get better (3.8) - What are some of the most memorable quotes from VR.5? One of the most charming things about VR.5 is its writing. Sydney, the rest of the VR.5 gang, and the various guest stars frequently get memorable lines. You can find them repeated on .sigs everywhere and captured in digital format. (See section 7.6.) The following are some lines that VR.5 fans thought were good enough to be included in this FAQ list. (Thanks to Robin Miller , Dennis Lui , William Wood , Dave Kliman , John Dobbin , Stanley ("Spokesman for the Committee") , Terri Ann , , Randolph Jones , Augie De Blieck, Jr. , Lisa Cunningham , Jean Lambert , Linda Willard , Eva Wong , and Jeff Bryer for their contributions.) "Virtual reality is real." -Sydney, before a commercial "It's not what you think." -Dr. Frank Morgan to Sydney, just before dying "Welcome to the game, Sydney Bloom." -Dr. Frank Morgan "You more than anyone else should know how one moment can change your life, how it can haunt you forever." -Oliver Sampson to Sydney "What's going on here? Why is she a black belt?" -Duncan, referring to the nurse at the hospital who had just given him a good chop "You're talking in circles." -Sydney to Oliver Sampson, referring to Oliver's attempt to explain the Committee's concentric arrangement "Just how well does the subconscious hold its liquor?" -Duncan, after Sydney drew Kyril into VR in "Control Freak" and made the assumption (because she thinks there are no "lies" in VR.5) that Kyril was *not* drinking, as was charged by the FAA "There are no answers when it comes to the Committee. You open a door, there's another one right behind it. The more you peel the onion, the more you sting your eyes." -Oliver Sampson "I think I'm in love." -Duncan, after Alex kissed him in "The Many Faces of Alex" After Sydney's first trip into VR.5: Duncan: "You gonna do it again?" Sydney: "It was incredible." Duncan: "So was peyote, but I didn't do it twice." "There are all manner of lies, Sydney, and all manner of liars. Remember that." -Oliver Sampson Oliver: "Next time I offer to save your life, do me a favor: turn me down." Sydney: "She's my sister. What could I do?" The mission of the Splinter Group of the Committee: "Power isn't anymore about accumulating territories or weapons. It's about accumulating minds. Joseph Bloom can do that. That's why we have to have him back." -Abernathy, in "Reunion" Oliver: "VR conjecture?" Sydney: "No, VR polygraph." -"Control Freak" From "Escape," in the white room with Oliver apparently pulling a cigarette case from his jacket: Oliver: "Do you smoke?" Sydney: "No." Oliver: "Neither do I. But then it's not allowed here." (and proceeds to inject her with something nasty) "I appear to have been shot." -Oliver Sampson, with mild disgust, in "The Many Faces of Alex" "I've been shot before, you know. And they hit vital organs that time." -Oliver Sampson, in "The Many Faces of Alex" Sydney: "What did you just press?" Oliver: "I'll tell you, but I'll have to kill you." -"The Many Faces of Alex," as Sydney is trying to pinpoint the location of the telephone number Oliver had given her. She tells him she's been trying to find out where the number comes from, but the computer won't tell her because it needs a special code. Oliver tells her it's a safehouse and punches in the code. Sydney: "I don't have any enemies." Oliver: "As I recall from your dossier, it's *friends* you don't have." -"5D" Sydney: "He was going to tell me everything!" Oliver: "Oh. Excuse me." -"5D" "My father gave his life for you." -Oliver Sampson, in "Reunion," to Abernathy when he realizes that Abernathy's a member (leader?) of the splinter faction "Maybe VR.12 turns you into Fabio." -Duncan, in "Parallel Lives" (3.9) - How many computers does Sydney use? (Thanks to Terry Asher for first raising the question.) Based on Jonathan Gan's observations, Sydney actually only has one computer. In the show, viewers see many bright screens, but Sydney consistently uses only one keyboard and she looks into only one screen. Moreover, what she types is repeated on every screen. All the extra monitors are there only for effect. Because the show's creators want to make a much more vibrant setting, and because one computer screen really doesn't provide much impact, the creators use many screens with fancy screen savers. Lisa Cunningham pointed out: Actually Syd looks back and forth on the computers when she does non-VR related computer tasks tho' she seems to focus on just one for the VR experiences. (3.10) - I'm totally confused. What happened in "The Many Faces of Alex?" "The Many Faces of Alex," broadcast during the May "sweeps" period on 5 May 1995, was very confusing. Numerous sequences in the program overloaded the viewer with new information or information that clashed with what VR.5 had previously given us. The questions you might have asked after you watched "The Many Faces of Alex" are numerous; putting them all here would be a mistake. So, each topic has been put into its respective section in this article. This section serves to guide you to all of the topics that "The Many Faces of Alex" covered. Most of this is speculation -- the contributors (and I) don't even *claim* to pretend that these are the complete facts. Here are related topics with "Many Faces of Alex"-specific info: 1.5 - What episodes have been broadcast? (Episode Guide) 1.8 - When is VR.5 taking place? 2.11 - What happened with Oliver and Alex in the past? 2.12 - Was Oliver Sampson a federal agent? 3.5 - What do the episode titles mean? 3.6 - What are some clever symbols the writers put in the show? 3.20 - In "The Many Faces of Alex's" first VR sequence, Alex is speaking in a foreign language. What's she saying? 6.1 - What are the levels of VR? 6.7 - Are there safeguards in VR? 6.8 - What's the meaning of VR.8 in the series? If you're interested in finding out fans' best guesses as to what happened in "The Many Faces of Alex," read the information from all the sections above. The responses quoted in many of the sections cover multiple topics in this FAQ list. "The Many Faces of Alex," an episode broadcast on 5 May 1995, was extremely confusing. For some analysis by fans on exactly what happened in the episode -- what we learned and what we still don't know -- see section 3.11. Here's a synopsis, from a member of the VR.5 production team : We find out that before Oliver was with the Commitee, he worked for another agency, and had a partner/lover named Alexis Miller (Markie Post), but that she disappeared when a scientist they were to bring to the US from Eastern Europe was killed at the train station where they were supposed to pick him up (scientist looked a lot like Dr. Bloom). And Oliver's been very self-protective about caring about people ever since he lost Alex. Now she's turned up, courtesy of a phone number the Committee had Oliver give to Sydney so she could take the person into VR. The person turns out to be Alex; when Syd and Oliver go try to find her, she hints to Sydney that she knows the Blooms, and they've given her enough trouble already. Alex disappears. And keeps disappearing even after she turns up at Syd's loft pretending to be Samantha. Syd and Duncan finally track her down and get her into VR again, going back to the train station where the scientist was killed--she tells Syd that she's supposed to pick up the Blooms in tunnel 9, and to tell Oliver she loves him, but that lives are at stake and she has to go. When Syd and Oliver try once more to get to Alex, they're ambushed (think Bad Committee) and Oliver's shot. As Syd's taking care of him in the basement of the Bloom house, he reveals just how much of a personal toll Alex's disappearance has taken on him, and together they realize that her father may well still be alive. With Duncan's help, Oliver tracks Alex to the train station, and Sydney puts them all three into VR. There, Alex reveals that she was Dr. Bloom and Samantha's keeper for five years, that he put her into VR.8 trying to transfer Samantha's personality into Alex in a weird effort to help his daughter escape from captivity. But it cracked Alex up, and now everybody's on the run. Oliver tries to reassure her that she's safe, but she's killed in VR. Once they're all out of VR, Oliver and Alex meet and reconcile with a very sad kiss. And as Sydney comes tearing down the train station tunnel to meet them, Alex is shot and killed for real--but not before Dr. Bloom and Samantha try to warn Sydney. Yes, they're alive. But they disappear before Sydney gets to them. (3.11) - In "The Many Faces of Alex," why did Oliver/Sydney/Alex experience Alex's death a few minutes before it actually happened? At the end of "The Many Faces of Alex," many viewers were confused by the VR sequence showing Alex's death, followed by the real sequence showing Alex's death. Ashley Majzels guesses: As for Alex, I strongly suspect she was able to VR (a side effect of having Sam in her head). If so, then her assaination and the attempt on Syd's life would seem to suggest open season on VR'ers... which suggests some part of TC wants a monopoly... No wonder Oliver didn't reveal Duncans VR abilities... nobody's tried to get him yet... 'The Many Faces Of Alex' is easily the most confusing episode to date.. I won't try and reason out if/why Dr Bloom and Sam were in the background, VR or real (now theres a hairy distinction). But I really do belive now that TC's factions are fighting for control of VR... and if Dr Bloom _is_ alive.. he'd be a fairly hot commodity... I do hope that Dr Bloom put _some_ safeguards into VR, such as the Sam Syd and Dunc all having to be together idea... otherwise, whichever faction of TC had a willing and able VR'er could wreak an awful lot of havok.. Lisa Cunningham brought up another possibility: Also it has been discussed that Syd's lines aren't secure. Could a tapper wire in through the receiving end phone line? Everyone in this show runs around with a damn flip phone in their pocket - these things, like cellular phones, are notoriously easy to access. All you need is the right equipment or, in some cases, the program code of the phone. Couldn't Oliver's (or is he using Syd's?) flip phone be tapped? (3.12) - Was the flashback -- with Samantha and Dr. Bloom drowning -- real? In the first season, starting in the pilot episode, we kept seeing a VR-like flashback with Samantha and Dr. Bloom drowning. In "Reunion," we learned that this was a lie; that Nora Bloom had erased Sydney's memories; and that when Duncan, Sydney, and Samantha hooked up together, they could see the truth. J. Walters observed: I loved the water motif in this one. Obviously the rain on the night of the original abduction of Dr. B. and Sam translated itself into drowning for Syd. VR, even used to create false memories, seems to work well within the bounds of literal truth to create new reality. This ep made good use of the way the mind catches hold of seemingly unimportant moments and hangs on to them - Syd's Pooh bear being the agent of the auto accident in her false memories. In the true ones she drops it out of her arms as she stands on the porch. I'd be interested to know what might have happened if she'd found the bear on the steps later and ever considered the notion that it could =not= have been pulled out of the car with her. Also it was fascinating to see that at least on some level Syd blamed herself for her father and sister dying/disappearing. The fact that she and Sam were arguing and that her petulance caused Dr. Bloom to turn at a critical moment, and crash the car is a very telling "memory." Why did her mind create that event? Survivor guilt? (3.13) - Will VR.5 be released on videotape? "There is a possibility." Lisa Cunningham , who has contact with one of the co-creators of the series, wrote: There is a possibility that the entire season, including the unaired episodes, will be released on video. I'll let you know when I hear from the producers regarding fan support and possible network pickup. The Virtual Storm made an offer to create and distribute officially- licensed video tapes. Rysher Entertainment turned them down. Maybe with renewed interest generated by a rerun on the Sci-Fi Channel, this is a possibility again? (3.14) - Are VR.5 episodes closed-captioned? Yes! Katherine Vogele posted: For all of you who have VR.5 on tape, here's a fun thing: Find the "Caption" mode for you TV -- for the hearing-impaired. VR.5 DOES has captions at the bottom, even if it's on tape. Lisa Cunningham thinks it's a great way to understand segments that are whispered or mumbled: Thank You! Yeah, I found my captioning command! This is great! I suspect after watching most of Alex, that they go for speed over accuracy A LOT. I don't think they have much choice. And sometimes they leave whole lines out. Or a scream gets reduced to "AHH"! But it is still great and wonderful for those garbled and mumbled moments. Tho' the captioner may be guessing too! (3.15) - In "Reunion," why are the patients in the nursing home staring at nothing? When Oliver went to Nora's nursing home in "Reunion," you could see patients staring at nothing, like they were completely oblivious to the world outside. Vikki Godwin said her husband thought it was Committee-engineered. She wrote: Pretty much the same condition that Nora was in for those 17 years. What if these people were victims of that Memory Erase program as well? Enemies of TC, experiments gone wrong ("He saw too much. We tried to erase his memories of TC's activities, but something went wrong. Put him in witht he rest."), etc. Possibly agents who know too much to safely retire? (shades of The Village!) The Man (Syd's Keeper) took the Memory Erase program after finding Syd, Duncan, and Nora in the basement. What happened to the program after that? Did he turn it over to TC? If so, the splinter faction could have gotten hold of it and/or made their own copy of the program. Lisa Cunningham thinks differently: I thought the implication was that those patients were victims of VR. People, who like Nora, went to far and got lost in VR7. Remember Dr. Morgan telling us about that jet pilot who wanted to know what it felt like to crash and was comatose ever since? I wondered if Oliver was thinking that as he looked at them - are they all victims of this thing? Gruesome thought. I don't think they are Memory Erase victims - that makes Syd's Keeper a real bad guy and for some reason, I don't think he is. Not yet anyway. WHich is unusually for me - I see double dealing and betrayal around every corner in this show! (3.16) - Why did the Bloom car change from a station wagon to a sedan in Sydney's memories? Vikki Godwin explains: This could be due to the mixing of memories (the bad with the good) in the faulty Memory Erase program. Instead of the family car and a trip for ice cream, Abernathy's sedan appears, the same car that took Sam and Dr. Bloom away from Sydney (just as she originally thought that the station wagon took them away from her when it sank and they drowned). As a side note, I loved how Reunions paralleled some of the events in the "real" past - specifically, instead of Syd hiding in the closet while Sam runs off to help Dr. Bloom, now Sam hides in the workroom while Syd runs off to help Oliver - who is being shoved into Abernathy's sedan when she finds him, just like Sam and Dr. Bloom were all those years ago. Of course, it could just be somebody falling asleep in the continuity department. (3.17) - What's special about the camera angles in VR.5? Ruth Bolton wrote: In Louise Fletcher's recent magazine interview, she commented on unusual camera angles in VR.5. She said it made it interesting for her to watch the final product. Rewatching eps, I though this feature was really neat. (I'm not a film major -- people have to _tell_ me these things.) For example, in Alex, people pass in front of the camera lens during long shots of Syd and Oliver in the bar at Lake A. In many shots of Syd's apt, you see people from _above_, plus shots _through_ things: windows, stairwell, etc. It also seems to me that there are more long shots than are typical of most tv shows -- and used to good effect. I need to re-watch segments where Syd is in VR.5 to see if they are doing special shots there. I remember some neat discussion about the skylight scene, and think there might be symbolism in other shots. (3.18) - Is VR.5 merchandise available? Except for the VR.5 soundtrack (see section 4.2), there isn't any available yet. (3.19) - Was Oliver responsible for Sydney's imprisonment in "Escape?" Linda Willard doesn't believe so. She posted the following article in response to criticism of Oliver's actions on the Net: Ah, c'mon. Give the guy a break. I agree, Oliver's got something to do with Syd's situation in Escape, but it's impossible to tell whether he came in after the fact (and is in fact the hero of the piece) or was in at the outset (and was actively involved in her imprisonment). If Syd *was* kidnapped (the memory of two attackers--neither of whom appears to be Oliver--and the abandoned Walkman [found by Duncan still playing--how long are those batteries good for!?] being the strongest arguments supporting that theory), who's to say *Oliver* had a hand in the doing? Syd's testimony (based on "Oliver"-instigated bouts of torture/interrogation) occurs entirely in VR; Oliver's defense (obtained in VR *and* in person) contradicts her perceptions and places the blame for the harm done her with the bad faction of TC. In person, he very likely lies--or at least toys with the truth--to conceal the extent of TC's involvement; in VR he's much more forthcoming. But there's never an indication (through VR or Syd's memory) that Oliver was involved in her "kidnapping." She "remembers" being hauled off; yet, Duncan finds the Walkman on the stair; if it weren't still running, it wouldn't be notable, would it? Consider that Syd is a bit of slob (have you taken a look at her loft?!) and could easily have left it there when she ran upstairs to grab some things for her weekend away. We are given so much in the way of conflicting information, only the writers could tell us categorically which events really occurred and which didn't. I think Oliver's best defense is to be found in Duncan's acceptance of his good intentions. Would Duncan *really* have left Syd in his care if he seriously doubted her safety there? (3.20) - In "The Many Faces of Alex's" first VR sequence, Alex is speaking in a foreign language. What's she saying? Some fans have tried to figure it out -- if you have any other suggestions, please send them in! Pat Moss wrote: What I've heard Alex say is: Pourquoi? (Why?) Pourquoi? (Why?) Parce-que ... (Because...) Lisa Cunningham added: There is a word after this....mal? Pat continued: Cinq [something something something] (Five) (The start of address?) Il est fou votre probleme. (Your problem is/has become crazy/out-of-hand.) John Dobbin said: The English overlay talk mentions not imitating the Cinderella story (said in a flapper voice). The first part goes as Pat says. The next part starts as not an address but a telephone number, Cinq, cinq, cinq. The next sentence is as Pat says. The following sentence begins in French but definitely ends in Italian. Je pense... I think Roberto that...it it definitely your problem. Three languages are overlayed here but the last sentence is completely Italian. I went nuts for nearly 20 minutes here. I don't hear Je pense, John. But I do hear something like "(something - maybe this is the Je pense you referred to, John?) doce cuarta (or cuantra) (en?) Roberto". And it isn't Italian (no doce in Italian - unless I'm misunderstanding what she is saying - I think it could be Spanish. 12:15, Roberto. I think. There is something that follows as well - I think it French laid over Italian and both are very garbled. And after that I could swear I hear "Je le coude" which doesn't make any sense (I know just enough French to know that doesn't make any sense!!) or something similar. There is one more sentence very low at the end that could certainly be Italian or Spanish. But I just can't get it clearly. Has it occurred to anyone besides me that maybe it isn't supposed to make a whole lot of sense? Like the languages are as garbled and mixed up as Alex's personalities? There are just too many layers of sound for me, with my rusty Italian, to really make out. Nor could my sister and she speaks Italian better than I do, I think! The only way we'll ever know is by asking the writers. Why don't you give me something easy like Russian or Japanese to translate? Sheesh. (3.21) - What happened in "Send Me An Angel," "Sisters," and "Parallel Lives?" Please see section 1.5 for descriptions of the episodes, which did not originally air in the U.S. (3.22) - Do people "get" VR.5? How much does each episode cost, and how long does it take to make them? TimDudeFl posted this message on 12 April 1995: By the way, my newspaper had a cover story on VR.5 in its features section and says the show is filming its "12th and final [sic] episode for the limited spring run. (Producer Michael) Katleman wonders about the future." There are lots more tidbits of info in the story, such as how the special effects are done (the show is filmed in B&W and is then computer-colorized). Each episode costs up to $1.5 million and takes a long time to produce, which could make it more difficult to be ready for the fall season. And there are concerns that not enough people are "getting it." But Bob Greenblatt, exec VP at Fox, is optimistic "I think people are so tired of seeing the same thing that they're willing to try something new ... as long as it's not incomprehensible (making comparisons to Twin Peaks and Wild Palms)." Let's hope he's right. (3.23) - Why would Syd do a silly thing like burn her father's diary in "Facing the Fire?" Miss Angst answers: It occurred to me right before I fell asleep last night that Sydney had scanned all the pages of the book into the computer... so she wasn't actually risking that much by setting the book on fire anyway. (3.24) - Sydney's taking Simon into VR at the end of "Simon's Choice" reminds me of a film... Perhaps you're thinking of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." WalterGL posted: > I was extremely impressed with the second to the last > scene where the traitor was taken into V.R. by Sydney > prior to his execution. That scene reminded me of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge." A man was about to be hanged for treason, and a noose was tied around his neck -- and then he managed to slip out and dive into the river. He swam rapidly, somehow avoiding the gunfire of the troops. The next 20 minutes of the film showed his escape from the authorities, his plunge down a waterfall, and his return home. As he runs toward his wife, however, his hallucination comes to an end, and he suddenly finds himself dangling from the bridge with a noose tightly around his neck. I couldn't help but notice the parallel there. :D RavvitEars agreed: I was also reminded of that short film. I think the rope snapped, or the branch broke and that's how he got away in his dream. It was shown once on The Twilight Zone when they needed material and they were running behind in the sked. So they bought the rights for the one time showing. Even though I knew what was happening, it didn't ruin it for me and even made all those poignant home life scenes all the sadder. It was also re-assuring to see that even the Committee has its limits in its power. (3.25) - The FOX press release in section 1.1 talks about "La Femme Nikita." What is it? Zanda says this about "La Femme Nikita:" Is an excellent french film, remade here in America into a mediocore film called "Point Of No Return", staring Bridget Fonda. The first and definitly the best film the french version. Here's the storyline as it reads on the video (dubbed version). Nikita, a ruthless street junkie, whose killer instincts could make her the perfect weapon. Recruited against her will into a secret government organization by a sadistic man known only as Bob, Nikita is broken & remade. In 3 years, Bob transforms her into a sexy, sophisticated " lethal weapon" named Josephine. Released from the training compound, Nikita establishes a new identity & soon falls in love with Marco, a soft-spoken romantic. Six months later, she gets a call. She's been activated. From that moment, Nikita is caught in a web of intrigue & murder - trapped in a double life as Marco's lover & Bob's hired gun. The underlying reletionship their refering to between Syd & Oliver, resembles that of Bob & Nikita's. A very strong sexual tension develops between them but due to their working relationship is never acted upon by either one. It was one of the best things about the film, if you haven't seen it rent it, "La Femme Nikita" not "Point Of No Return". I become more and more impressed by the writers and producers at VR each week, they know exactly how to play with the viewers emotions and keep them tuning in every week. Way to go & keep up the good work!!!! Long live VR5!!!!!