The Unit -- OAD 3/15/09

verdugan · 03-16-2009, 04:11 PM

I liked this episode. Even the wives didn't bother me like they usually do. This week the whiny part was played by Tiffy and Mac's daughter. She got on my nerves.

A few comments:
This has to be the "unluckiest" unit in the army, or their cover is not as good as they thought

I can't believe Betty Blue didn't beat up the father in the truck (at least not in front of his kid). And I think it's lame that the rest of the unit didn't think right away to look in the refrigerated truck. I'm sure it was done for dramatic purposes, but it just made the rest of the unit looked less bright than Betty Blue.

I wonder if the old guy in the apartment asking all those questions is going to come back to haunt them or knows more than he's telling.

Finally, hope they don't drag out for too long this story line. Obviously the skinheads were used as pawns, but by whom? And was the unit the target or were they just at the wrong place at the wrong time?

busyba · 03-16-2009, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by verdugan

I wonder if the old guy in the apartment asking all those questions is going to come back to haunt them or knows more than he's telling.

I'm thinking he almost certainly is going to be significant. I can't exactly remember where I know him from, but the actor is "big" enough that "nosy neighbor #2" is too small a credit for him.

I think he also played the college professor from Journeyman who knew a lot about what was going on.

Yup, here he is: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0263577/

Now look at that list of credits. No way he's not going to be important down the road. It's just like how in Law and Order if an actor is playing a part that appears to be too small given that actor's resume, then he's probably going to be the bad guy.

busyba · 03-16-2009, 07:46 PM

My nit... if, as they said in the episode, chlorine gas is heavier than air, shouldn't Jonas have died before the birds did?

MrGreg · 03-16-2009, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by verdugan

This has to be the "unluckiest" unit in the army, or their cover is not as good as they thought

I thought the entire reason the unit relocated to this particular area is that it was a known terrorist cell location... and the guy Kim was babysitting for was the money man for them. Then at the end of this ep, they said something about "no reason to stay here now", so they're going to pack up and move.

Quote:

Originally Posted by busyba

I'm thinking he almost certainly is going to be significant. I can't exactly remember where I know him from, but the actor is "big" enough that "nosy neighbor #2" is too small a credit for him.

Not sure how "nosy" neighbor #2 is going to be a future problem if they move, but maybe you're right.

Quote:

Originally Posted by busyba

My nit... if, as they said in the episode, chlorine gas is heavier than air, shouldn't Jonas have died before the birds did?

Yes, but birds are much smaller, and more susceptible to the gas. It was, almost literally, the canary in the coal mine.

verdugan · 03-16-2009, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by busyba

My nit... if, as they said in the episode, chlorine gas is heavier than air, shouldn't Jonas have died before the birds did?

Jonas has bigger lungs than birds?

Damn, I smeeked in a thread with 3 posts, and one of them was mine? d'oh

verdugan · 03-16-2009, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrGreg

Not sure how "nosy" neighbor #2 is going to be a future problem if they move, but maybe you're right.

I'm with busyba on this. He's too big of an actor to not have a part to play in future episodes.

So I guess whoever Kim's boss was working for are behind the gas attack? Payback is going to be fun! Hopefully Col. Ryan's wife will get caught in the crossfire.

loubob57 · 03-17-2009, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by verdugan

Hopefully Col. Ryan's wife will get caught in the crossfire.

We can always hope.

newsposter · 03-17-2009, 10:20 AM

This weeks moral: always have enough duct tape! It was nice to have mostly action for most of the show. No boring moments like ryan in a hotel room with his wife..ick

i thought the bad guy in the truck was gonna pull out a gun, he was reaching with his right hand. Love how he was stuffed in the trunk and hauled off, wonder if they will tell him his mask was no good or was his mask one that actually did work?

What was the point of the boots booming in the pipe, i missed that

And yes missing the truck was nuts..betty certainly would find a 'cover' and not wander out into the woods where he doesnt know what is there. If all the cells came back on (they could see his signal), why didnt they call him while they were on the way?

busyba · 03-17-2009, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by newsposter

What was the point of the boots booming in the pipe, i missed that

It was just a distraction to get the two guys who were covering the door to take their eyes off of the door for the couple of seconds SnakeDoc and DirtDiver would need to get through the door (the "kill funnel") and get to a better position to engage the shooters from. Otherwise, their assumed risk in going through the door would have been substantially greater.

Quote:

And yes missing the truck was nuts..betty certainly would find a 'cover' and not wander out into the woods where he doesnt know what is there. If all the cells came back on (they could see his signal), why didnt they call him while they were on the way?

The cell probably wasn't getting a signal from inside the truck. The position that DogPatch gave the team was the last known location of the BettyBlue's cell, not his current one. They weren't seeing an active signal, even after the cells came back on.

newsposter · 03-17-2009, 01:08 PM

love the accuracy of the detonation times too (a few seconds boss)

also love the whip falling on the grenade, i guess that solidifies him as one of the boys!

Craigbob · 03-17-2009, 01:51 PM

I liked this ep. a lot. The wives were not annoying (daughter was though) and actually served a purpose.

The story was engaging and tied into the overall season arc. IOW why they are leaving the area now that they know something is going on.. Maybe the feds will take over now. Who knows.

retrodog · 03-17-2009, 02:07 PM

Favorite line from the episode:

Snake Doc: Oh they're expecting somebody, but they're not expecting us.

And I'm looking forward to next week when we...

Spoiler:

verdugan · 03-17-2009, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retrodog

And I'm looking forward to next week when we...

I usually don't watch the previews, but this week I did. I can't wait.

retrodog · 03-17-2009, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craigbob

I liked this ep. a lot. The wives were not annoying (daughter was though) and actually served a purpose.

The story was engaging and tied into the overall season arc. IOW why they are leaving the area now that they know something is going on.. Maybe the feds will take over now. Who knows.

I didn't really understand that part either but just wrote it off to poor writing.

Not only are they leaving, but they get to go get their children back and return to life as before... from what I understood. (???)

This show is tricky because I can't tell when they aren't telling us something just to keep us guessing or when they aren't telling us something because they suck at writing.

jschuur · 03-17-2009, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by newsposter

This weeks moral: always have enough duct tape!

No kidding. I made a note to buy more in the middle of this episode.

JLucPicard · 03-17-2009, 04:31 PM

OK, getting old, so memory can fail me, but....

When they shipped them out there, didn't they mainly do that because someone was stalking them (so to speak) at the military base where they lived? Did the mission they took on out there come about because they were there, or was that the reason for them sending them there? I thought that all formulated (including getting the women involved) since they were there anyway. And IIRC, weren't they going to leave all the kids somewhere else, but Tiffy and Mac's were old enough that there was some kind of 'choice'?

I guess the "no sense staying here" was because their cover was blown/they had been found out anyway. Even given that, there's still some questions that would bug me like 'so now it's OK to go back to the base anyway?' and 'wouldn't the kids still be in danger, but they're going to be reuinted with Kim and Bob?'.

I'm guessing I'm probably forgetting a bunch of stuff that fills all the holes in my brain. Still enjoy the heck out of this show, though!

loubob57 · 03-17-2009, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by retrodog

Favorite line from the episode:

Snake Doc: Oh they're expecting somebody, but they're not expecting us

I liked that line too.

verdugan · 03-17-2009, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JLucPicard

but they're going to be reuinted with Tiffy and Bob?'.

You meant Kim and Bob, right?

JLucPicard · 03-17-2009, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by verdugan

You meant Kim and Bob, right?

OOPS!!! Exactly. I'l fix my post.

If I type more than eight words, I usually frak something up.

lordargent · 03-18-2009, 12:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrGreg

Yes, but birds are much smaller, and more susceptible to the gas. It was, almost literally, the canary in the coal mine.

I think you're over thinking it.

Maybe the birds were already on the ground poking around for worms or something. So when the gas hit, they just keeled over.

/plus, they would have been closer to the ground since they're shorter.

retrodog · 03-18-2009, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordargent

I think you're over thinking it.

Maybe the birds were already on the ground poking around for worms or something. So when the gas hit, they just keeled over.

/plus, they would have been closer to the ground since they're shorter.

No, the previous post was dead-on (pun intended). The birds were used to show early warning just like the canary in a coal mine. While it's true that birds fly at higher altitudes than 6', they spend much of their time below 6' while looking around for food. Increased susceptability and access to low areas are the two very valid reasons to believe there would be dead birds lying around.

retrodog · 03-18-2009, 12:16 PM

The main technical flaw to this episode was the fact that it would have taken several tanker trucks full of chlorine just to bring up the ppm level enough to notice in an area that large. Getting it to the level of toxicity they portray in the show was kind of ridiculous. Especially if there had been any breeze at all.

newsposter · 03-18-2009, 01:34 PM

speaking of realism, is the level of 'sprinkler head' penetration into all the places they had it really correct? Just seemed they were 'everywhere' and all turned on at the same time. It was an amazing coordination of timing

laria · 03-18-2009, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by newsposter

speaking of realism, is the level of 'sprinkler head' penetration into all the places they had it really correct? Just seemed they were 'everywhere' and all turned on at the same time. It was an amazing coordination of timing

Maybe there are watering restrictions and they can only water during certain hours of the day.

Craigbob · 03-18-2009, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by laria

Maybe there are watering restrictions and they can only water during certain hours of the day.

Typically such restrictions limit watering to early morning or late afternoon/early evening. Some times after sundown so the water doesn't have a chance to evaporate before soaking into the ground.

laria · 03-18-2009, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craigbob

Typically such restrictions limit watering to early morning or late afternoon/early evening. Some times after sundown so the water doesn't have a chance to evaporate before soaking into the ground.

I got the impression that the episode was later in the afternoon, since Tiffy was teaching a detention class, and the other kids were playing at a soccer game.

pendragn · 03-22-2009, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by verdugan

Jonas has bigger lungs than birds?

Damn, I smeeked in a thread with 3 posts, and one of them was mine? d'oh

It's not a smeek if you're posting at the same time as the other person. It's a smeek if you choose not to read the rest of the posts in the thread before making your post. Since your two posts are two minutes apart, my guess is that you posted at the same time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by laria

I got the impression that the episode was later in the afternoon, since Tiffy was teaching a detention class, and the other kids were playing at a soccer game.

It could have been a Saturday morning. I know they play a lot of soccer on Saturday mornings around here. Having detention on a Saturday doesn't seem too out of line.

tk

laria · 03-22-2009, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pendragn

It could have been a Saturday morning. I know they play a lot of soccer on Saturday mornings around here. Having detention on a Saturday doesn't seem too out of line.

Yeah, that too... the only reason I thought that it was a weekday afternoon was that there were other kids not in detention around the school, doing yearbook and other stuff outside, but I guess that could also be on a Saturday. There just seemed to be a lot of kids around the school for a Saturday, I guess.

My school had Saturday detention... that and in-school suspension was for the REAL troublemakers.

Unbeliever · 03-22-2009, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pendragn

Having detention on a Saturday doesn't seem too out of line.

There was a whole movie made about Saturday detention.

--Carlos V.

verdugan · 03-22-2009, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unbeliever

There was a whole movie made about Saturday detention.

--Carlos V.

LOL

I agree with the previous poster who said there were waaay too many kids on campus to be a Saturday. My guess is that it was early afternoon.