Discuss the Current Episode

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Originally posted by Son_of_Horus Speaking of which, am I the only person here who noticed that right before Roger got knocked back by the laser blast, that Instro had his head down and was going through convulsions like he was crying?

I think he was responding to Dorothy's music. That was when he reasserted control of himself and stopped the phonosonic weapon, allowing Roger to shoot the missile to break the vanes on Constanze. A neat solution, particularly how one squished Gieseng.

Pygmalion

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Originally posted by Pygmalion quote: Originally posted by Son_of_Horus Speaking of which, am I the only person here who noticed that right before Roger got knocked back by the laser blast, that Instro had his head down and was going through convulsions like he was crying? I think he was responding to Dorothy's music. That was when he reasserted control of himself and stopped the phonosonic weapon, allowing Roger to shoot the missile to break the vanes on Constanze. A neat solution, particularly how one squished Gieseng. Pygmalion

Actually, it was just prior to the appearance of Big-O.
Roger is running after him and pleading with him.
It was what Roger had said which caused a sobbing like reaction from Instro.

Dammit!
I HATE the fact that they never expounded on the fact that Instro had human memories!

You all bring up intersting points but most can be set aside with more thought about Big O... But first I will bring up my feelings, and notations about this ep.

First I would like to deal with Androids. As we Instro used to be off smaller stature, we see this when he was a flash back of his father playing. Also in a photograph that looks remakably human, and Instro is more of a typical mechanical android, very nonhuman looking. This could mean a few things. Since androids can't grow (body wise) we must infer that so far all the androids we have met (as of far) have been modeled after humans, especialy young ones. So it might be possible that androids are mearly copies of humans. Yet does their humanity come from preinstallation? Or do they mimic the compassion that they see around them? It seems to me that Instro had memmories of being a child, learning how to play piano. This is possible since this was all after the EVENT. So I believe that certian human aspects, no matter how complex the process is, must be loaded on the the androids. Obviously Dorothy did have feelings for Instro, she tells Roger not to destory him, and Roger is stunned. Yet she quickly hides her feelings again.

We also see another thing, prehaps some forshadowing to a later ep, Instro is attached to Constance. I believe that Instro could have removed himself without tearing out his hands, but did so because of the truth that he currently believed in, if you look again Instros torso is in Constance yet it is intact later, so there must be a disable device. Instro also says that he is a intiation device, so prehaps Dorothy is also in intiation device, after all she did increase Big O's, and Big Fau's (Her Memmory Circit) abilities. So androids must be able, and have been able to interact with Megi.

Now for Big O, was Big O simply not able to destory Constance, becuase of Constances better weapon, or was it because Roger didn't want to destory Instro? What would Roger have done, if Dorothy hadn't started playing? Big O seemed pretty helpless, but I think Roger was holding back a little.

Lastely heres a qoute from the episod; "No one could repair the intricit circitry in Instro's hands..." Then who did it? He seemed to be playing pretty good, where was this person when Dorothy went 'cold'.

Now from some questions.

From ACT (I can call you that right?)
"Roger knows which of Dastun's file drawers will have the information on Giesang."
I believe at one time Roger was very close with Dastun, until he left the force in 'disgust'.

From ACT
"Instro says and does things when Consanze is intact that he does not say or do before or after. I believe that Constanze affects his mind. I don't think Instro doubts that he is a pianist under ordinary circumstances, or is willing to destroy Paradigm, either. Giesang must have forced him into the cockpit of Constanze. Once connected, his mind was influenced by Constanze."
I think that since Megi can act on their own they could 'cloud' a persons mind, especially when they were designed for eachother, we see this a bit, when Dorothy frezzes up when Dorothy 1 starts to fall.

Not that I think that I can show anyone up, I'm just voicing my opinions, no matter how stupid they may be.

As I was going through the act again, I noticed this(highlighted).I'm not sure if anyone has brought it up before. Also if you take a moment to read what's in the file, you'll see that it's just an article about scientists and their various inventions.

• Attachment: Gieseng-file.jpg

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Originally posted by R.Smith As I was going through the act again, I noticed this(highlighted).I'm not sure if anyone has brought it up before. Also if you take a moment to read what's in the file, you'll see that it's just an article about scientists and their various inventions.

As chance would have it, we did mention this file in Sixfortyfive's Complete Plot Analysis thread, which NVWC2006 also mentions in Text in Newspapers and Books.

I posted that the text in Giesang's file is almost word for word that of Nikolai Tesla's biography in the Encyclopedia Brittanica. Tesla invented the alternating-current motor and polyphase power distribution, which made AC the electricity form of choice today. His Tesla Coil is still in use in your car's ignition coil and the flyback ttransformer in picture-tube TVs. He invented a radio-control motorboat before Marconi. And his showmanship in creating lightning set the standard for movie scientists.

Using his life as the basis of the biography of Giesang is, whether deliberate or not, one of the truly inspired moments of the show. His later research at his lab in Colorado had to do with the transmission of power without wires. The focussed application of this broadcast power was dubbed "death rays" by the press, who always found Tesla to be good copy.

Pygmalion

Whe everyone lost their memmories some things are bound to get reinvented, or rediscovered. Also have you realized that all the scienitists die in Big O?

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Originally posted by Agamemnon Whe everyone lost their memmories some things are bound to get reinvented, or rediscovered. Also have you realized that all the scienitists die in Big O?

I believe the old scientist in "Electric City" was still alive at the end of the episode. At least, we were not shown his corpse.

Pygmalion

P.S. And in case I didn't make it perfectly clear, I meant that the writers basing Giesang on Tesla was clever.

Just a reminder: We're going to pretend that Big O is still airing episodes on Saturdays, though in fact it ain't.

On Saturday, we'll advance the "Current Episode" to Act 7: THE CALL FROM THE PAST, and talk about that one.

Dig out your DVDs or off-air recordings! It's an interesting episode, and not just because Angel strips down to her undies.

I love act 7. There's just something nice about Angel and Roger locked together in an underwater skyscraper that couldn't possibly have air in it but does anyway that just makes me very happy ^_^

Good thing we have these unoffical forums, otherwise the people in the AS forums might think all Big O fans had gone crazy in the head, talking about an episoid that did air. *You know what I mean*

Between me and you... my name is Irrelevant

Just a reminder: because BIG O isn't showing on AS at the moment, we're all pretending that it does. Watch Act 7 "A Call From the Past" today, and we'll start discussing it tonight!

We're talking about ep. 7 as in tonight? lol. Pretty dead so far. Um, I'll start some points though on that. Good episode. Roger and Angel tay-to-tay is priceless. Especially Roger's "throw yourself into my arms" bit. lol. Shows the old louse.

first the questions:

-Why are there huge cables running into that tunnel of light where the Dagon megadeus is hiding? --are they from Rosewater, or were they there?

-Is the tunnel of light the same as the tunnels of weird light underground seen in Underground Terror where Roger has hallucinations and the end of the series?

-And while we're at it, doesn't those tunnels of light in Underground Terror, when they show you all the forks in the road look like the Paradigm Corp logo?

-Dagon awakens...why? Cause it was disturbed and was protecting the Memories?

-Rosewater's down there for the Memories of Dagon, or what? I mean, they go back to the sunken city and the Frogmen in Season 2. Rosewater is interested in that area. And it seems key, as I beleive in ACT 26 Roger sees the GEARS there that trigger memories along with his dead self floating around.

-Does Angel know Roger's the pilot of BIG O yet? She never says it, but she does give it that look and scolds it as if she's talking to Roger directly.

The value of this episode to the story:

-Introduces Angel's "scars".

-Discover, right after Benny, that megadeus' normally do have some sort of master or single friend, as Dagon searches for him.

-Rosewater really dislikes the outsiders. Wants the Military Police to hold off.

-Yet another BIG O compartment to hold Angel, or people in distress.

That's all I got. No episode is completely pointless...each, though they seem disconnected at times, adds something or solidfys (sp?) something else in the series.

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Originally posted by Paradigm Dog We're talking about ep. 7 as in tonight? lol. Pretty dead so far. Um, I'll start some points though on that. Good episode. Roger and Angel tay-to-tay is priceless. Especially Roger's "throw yourself into my arms" bit. lol. Shows the old louse. first the questions: -Why are there huge cables running into that tunnel of light where the Dagon megadeus is hiding? --are they from Rosewater, or were they there?

Those were power lines for rosewater's frogmen it seems, probably for lights.

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-Is the tunnel of light the same as the tunnels of weird light underground seen in Underground Terror where Roger has hallucinations and the end of the series?

Possibly, but I think the lights are manmade so the frogmen can see what they're doing.

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-And while we're at it, doesn't those tunnels of light in Underground Terror, when they show you all the forks in the road look like the Paradigm Corp logo?

I dunno, anyone got a pic?

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-Dagon awakens...why? Cause it was disturbed and was protecting the Memories?

Hell if I know, but they said it was searching for its master, so maybe its dominus is gone and its looking for him/her, or ... i dunno.

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-Rosewater's down there for the Memories of Dagon, or what? I mean, they go back to the sunken city and the Frogmen in Season 2. Rosewater is interested in that area. And it seems key, as I beleive in ACT 26 Roger sees the GEARS there that trigger memories along with his dead self floating around.

The frogmen in season two where there to recover the pieces of fau delievered in the 3 foriegn megadei. Although there definately seems to be somthing fishy underwater. (hehe puns).

I'm not sure if rosewater knew about the gears, he didn't know about the lights. Its possible the "memories" they were looking for were from profit, just like angel said.

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-Does Angel know Roger's the pilot of BIG O yet? She never says it, but she does give it that look and scolds it as if she's talking to Roger directly.

She has to have known, she used to hang out with rosewater in his smokey omniscient room, and Rosewater certainly knew.

Question- why does the city have all its lights still on? Is that Rosewater's cables lighting up the underwater city for the Frogmen to see...or did "the Event" happen so fast that no one was able to turn the lights off...its weird. Any ideas?

PS- thanks for the responses Zopwx2.

I love the way Roger and Angel bicker!

Some notes on the episode:

This one used the film noir convention of telling the story out of sequence. As far as I can recall, this is the only episode that does so.

Angel is still in spy mode. She takes advantage of Roger by nabbing the submarine he's already rented. She has a cover story about wanting "memories" because "they're worth a lot of money."

Note that Angel is not working for Rosewater this time. The frogmen are Rosewater's; Angel is doing this one on her own, presumably for the Union.

This is one of those episodes that makes me shake my head sadly anytime people talk about Season 2 as if it were an afterthought. This episode establishes that Angel is probably a foreigner. It introduces the scars on her back. It shows that she's not always working for Rosewater. Most of this stuff doesn't become important until halfway through Season 2, but it was clearly in the writers' minds from the beginning.

Poor Norman is going out of his mind with worry. Roger is in a place where he shouldn't be able to survive. Norman can tell he's alive, but Roger is maintaining radio silence. He's not talking and he's not calling Big O.

Angel knows about Big O already -- she probably realized that Roger was Big O's Dominus during the events in ELECTRIC CITY. She has a line almost at the beginning of CALL FROM THE PAST, where she says something like, "Are you going to keep playing innocent until we're both killed?" She's going nuts for the same reason Norman is; waiting for him to get around to calling Big O is driving her crazy.

While Angel is very annoyed with Roger, this is the episode where she falls in love with him.

Does Angel know what "memories" are? In this case, "memories" seem to mean simply the core memory of the Megadeus. But in other contexts, they mean the things that were in people's minds 40 years ago, and in still others they seem to mean written or electronic records.

Ah, Alex, you are such a jerk! Like a lot of elitists through history, Alex thinks that anything that causes slaughter in the slums will make the world a better place.

The Sea Titan didn't have a mask on, and this may have made him unusually vulnerable. If he had been fully armored, would he have been a match for Big O? Was he, in fact, a "big"-class Megadeus? After all, we know nothing about what causes some Megadeuses to have the word "Big" in their names. In the show, they never utter the Sea Titan's real name.

Since he's "looking for his lost master," we can assume he has a pilot, just as Bonnie Frasier was the Dominus of his Megadeus. Perhaps this distinction between "Bigs" and non-Bigs is meaningless.

At the end of the episode, Angel glares at Roger so fiercely that I'm surprised his eyebrows didn't burst into flame. And Dorothy saw the whole exchange.

Let me repeat: Dorothy was jealous of Angel when she first arrived as Casey Jenkins. Now Roger has spent a considerable time alone with Angel -- an Angel stripped down to her underwear, no less -- and Dorothy knows it. The highly personal nature of Angel's glare is probably not very reassuring from Dorothy's point of view.

No it isn't act. Bigs are a class of Megadeus, like a class of a ship. O, Duo, Fau, and Venus are "Big" class megadeuses.

It's interesting to chart Dorothy's evolution from "Electric City" -- perhaps coincidentally, another heavily Angel-centric episode -- to "The Call From The Past."

In the former we see a Dorothy who's almost an emotional toddler, hungry for attention and not much caring if it's negative (her "I, Robot" performance at the breakfast table, including the headlight trick, all clearly done primarily to punch Roger's buttons). Later we see that Dorothy, in the absence of immediate work or other outside stimuli, apparently can think of nothing better to do than haunt Roger's office and flip his hourglasses over and over again, an almost autistic response to her own loneliness and boredom.

By the end of the episode, however, she's taking out her restlessness on the trusty piano -- and, of course, "Casseey"'s business card. She seems to have identified what's troubling her.

In "The Call From The Past," Dorothy takes a much more grown-up tack in her dealings with Roger and the outside world. She presses him for information about his assignment, clearly out of concern for his safety. She expresses her melancholy through her moody piano improvisations. She recognizes her jealousy of Angel for what it is. And she leaps at the opportunity to help Norman save face and to be Roger's rescuer in the same action -- although, of course, for Perfectly Logical Reasons.

As short as Ms. D's total screentime is in this ep, what her scenes reveal makes a beautifully organic lead-in to that high-water mark in Dorothy characterization, "Missing Cat."

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Originally posted by Wingnut No it isn't act. Bigs are a class of Megadeus, like a class of a ship. O, Duo, Fau, and Venus are "Big" class megadeuses.

This is a supposition; a speculation. The main difference between the other Megadeuses and Big O, Big Duo, and Big Fau is that the three Bigs have been prepared for battle, have all their armor in place, are fully armed, and have their pilots in control.

What do we see with the other Megadeuses?

It's not clear that Dorothy 1 was intended for combat at all.

The Archetype is unarmed, unarmored, unpiloted, decrepit.

We never get a good look at Bonnie Frasier's Megadeus, so it's hard to tell about that one.

Constanze would have destroyed Big O if Instro hadn't been so half-hearted about it.

The Sea Titan, like the Archetype, lacks its mask and is presumably not fully armored. It is unpiloted and apparently decrepit.

Beck Victory Deluxe is not Megadeus-class. It is poorly armed and armored.

Then we see Big Duo -- fully armed, fully armored, battle-ready, with its pilot in charge.

Next we see the three Megadeuses from the sea -- cheap knock-offs.

Glinda was unpiloted. In any event, the Big O Thunder is perfectly capable of punching through virtually any armor.

Beck's RX-7 is not Megadeus-class. In any event, the Big O Thunder is perfectly capable of punching through virtually any armor.

Bonaparte is made out of the same junk as the three Megadeuses from the sea.

Big Duo Inferno, "The Gay Big," doesn't hold up any better to the Big O Thunder than Glinda or the RX-7, though it is "Big Class," is fully armed and armored, and is piloted.

Big Fau is fully armed, armored, and piloted, and does quite well, though you wonder whether it's a matter of special dispensation on the part of the writers, since I can't recall when I've ever seen anything as lame as the "Slow and Useless Flying Fists of Death" attack, and personally I think the "Spinny Cutty Wrist-Bracelet Thingies of Doom" are almost as bad. Big Fau's only interesting talent is that he has an effective shield. Without it, he would have been melted down by the Big O thunder just like everything else.

There you have it. Of all the Megadeuses, the two that really gave Big O a run for his money were Constanze and Big Fau. Big Duo was inferior, and if Norman had rearmed Big O's missiles immediately, it would have been a walkover. The key element with Constanze and Big Fau were not their attacks, but their shields.

So, as a class, "Bigs" strike me as having very little significance.

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Originally posted by A Clockwork Tomato quote: Originally posted by Wingnut No it isn't act. Bigs are a class of Megadeus, like a class of a ship. O, Duo, Fau, and Venus are "Big" class megadeuses. This is a supposition; a speculation. The main difference between the other Megadeuses and Big O, Big Duo, and Big Fau is that the three Bigs have been prepared for battle, have all their armor in place, are fully armed, and have their pilots in control. What do we see with the other Megadeuses? It's not clear that Dorothy 1 was intended for combat at all. The Archetype is unarmed, unarmored, unpiloted, decrepit. We never get a good look at Bonnie Frasier's Megadeus, so it's hard to tell about that one. Constanze would have destroyed Big O if Instro hadn't been so half-hearted about it. The Sea Titan, like the Archetype, lacks its mask and is presumably not fully armored. It is unpiloted and apparently decrepit. Beck Victory Deluxe is not Megadeus-class. It is poorly armed and armored. Then we see Big Duo -- fully armed, fully armored, battle-ready, with its pilot in charge. Next we see the three Megadeuses from the sea -- cheap knock-offs. Glinda was unpiloted. In any event, the Big O Thunder is perfectly capable of punching through virtually any armor. Beck's RX-7 is not Megadeus-class. In any event, the Big O Thunder is perfectly capable of punching through virtually any armor. Bonaparte is made out of the same junk as the three Megadeuses from the sea. Big Duo Inferno, "The Gay Big," doesn't hold up any better to the Big O Thunder than Glinda or the RX-7, though it is "Big Class," is fully armed and armored, and is piloted. Big Fau is fully armed, armored, and piloted, and does quite well, though you wonder whether it's a matter of special dispensation on the part of the writers, since I can't recall when I've ever seen anything as lame as the "Slow and Useless Flying Fists of Death" attack, and personally I think the "Spinny Cutty Wrist-Bracelet Thingies of Doom" are almost as bad. Big Fau's only interesting talent is that he has an effective shield. Without it, he would have been melted down by the Big O thunder just like everything else. There you have it. Of all the Megadeuses, the two that really gave Big O a run for his money were Constanze and Big Fau. Big Duo was inferior, and if Norman had rearmed Big O's missiles immediately, it would have been a walkover. The key element with Constanze and Big Fau were not their attacks, but their shields. So, as a class, "Bigs" strike me as having very little significance.

Bravo ACT! Bravo! You did a great job in listing the various Megadeuses Big O encounters, plus the out come!

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Originally posted by A Clockwork Tomato quote: Originally posted by Wingnut No it isn't act. Bigs are a class of Megadeus, like a class of a ship. O, Duo, Fau, and Venus are "Big" class megadeuses. This is a supposition; a speculation. The main difference between the other Megadeuses and Big O, Big Duo, and Big Fau is that the three Bigs have been prepared for battle, have all their armor in place, are fully armed, and have their pilots in control. What do we see with the other Megadeuses? It's not clear that Dorothy 1 was intended for combat at all. The Archetype is unarmed, unarmored, unpiloted, decrepit. We never get a good look at Bonnie Frasier's Megadeus, so it's hard to tell about that one. Constanze would have destroyed Big O if Instro hadn't been so half-hearted about it. The Sea Titan, like the Archetype, lacks its mask and is presumably not fully armored. It is unpiloted and apparently decrepit. Beck Victory Deluxe is not Megadeus-class. It is poorly armed and armored. Then we see Big Duo -- fully armed, fully armored, battle-ready, with its pilot in charge. Next we see the three Megadeuses from the sea -- cheap knock-offs. Glinda was unpiloted. In any event, the Big O Thunder is perfectly capable of punching through virtually any armor. Beck's RX-7 is not Megadeus-class. In any event, the Big O Thunder is perfectly capable of punching through virtually any armor. Bonaparte is made out of the same junk as the three Megadeuses from the sea. Big Duo Inferno, "The Gay Big," doesn't hold up any better to the Big O Thunder than Glinda or the RX-7, though it is "Big Class," is fully armed and armored, and is piloted. Big Fau is fully armed, armored, and piloted, and does quite well, though you wonder whether it's a matter of special dispensation on the part of the writers, since I can't recall when I've ever seen anything as lame as the "Slow and Useless Flying Fists of Death" attack, and personally I think the "Spinny Cutty Wrist-Bracelet Thingies of Doom" are almost as bad. Big Fau's only interesting talent is that he has an effective shield. Without it, he would have been melted down by the Big O thunder just like everything else. There you have it. Of all the Megadeuses, the two that really gave Big O a run for his money were Constanze and Big Fau. Big Duo was inferior, and if Norman had rearmed Big O's missiles immediately, it would have been a walkover. The key element with Constanze and Big Fau were not their attacks, but their shields. So, as a class, "Bigs" strike me as having very little significance.

Let's not forget the Toy-like Megadeus (though, I never saw it as such). It was soulless and had no weapons to speak of. Though, it was strong enough to give Big O a little trouble when it was trying to attack the people on the Ferris Wheel. Also, it did was packed with explosives, to give the people on Connie Island (or the amusement dome) a blast.