Forever: The Night In Question
April 21, 2015 8:17 PM - Season 1, Episode 21 - Subscribe
Henry tries to find out what really happened to Abigail after she left him; the details of a horrifying secret are revealed.
Last I read, there had been no definite decision made yet about its future, but given the dismal ratings, I'm not betting on a second season.
posted by sardonyx at 9:13 PM on April 21, 2015
posted by sardonyx at 9:13 PM on April 21, 2015
It's a shame it'll probably be canceled, it's so much better than the show that presumably inspired it, New Amsterdam.
This episode was REALLY affecting. Poor Henry and Abe. And to find out it was that guy who inadvertently led to her death, and to him finding Henry years later? Hooooooooo boy. Good job, show.
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:17 PM on April 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
This episode was REALLY affecting. Poor Henry and Abe. And to find out it was that guy who inadvertently led to her death, and to him finding Henry years later? Hooooooooo boy. Good job, show.
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:17 PM on April 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
Lucas correcting Henry on the nature of Abigail's injuries was an unexpected gut punch.
posted by localroger at 5:15 AM on April 22, 2015
posted by localroger at 5:15 AM on April 22, 2015
Are the ratings dismal? I thought they were doing ok (futon critic cite) - not runaway hit ratings, but, respectable? I'm still hoping for renewal, but I'm glad they've chosen to solve the mystery of Abigail this season.
Loved this episode (I guess it's a little hypocritical of me considering how I roll my eyes at other shows/movies using the tragically dead girlfriend trope, but, with immortal characters it's not so trope-ey). Hirsch & Gruffudd were perfect, such heartbreakers. And I loved that little comedy moment of Lucas being brought into the bat-cave.
I think the most implausible part of the plot was the judge's voluntary confession to the hit & run -- I guess his motivation was supposed to be that he wanted to convince them that he didn't murder Belinda, so that they'd find her real killer. But it was a very 'because the plot demands it' scene.
posted by oh yeah! at 5:41 AM on April 22, 2015
Loved this episode (I guess it's a little hypocritical of me considering how I roll my eyes at other shows/movies using the tragically dead girlfriend trope, but, with immortal characters it's not so trope-ey). Hirsch & Gruffudd were perfect, such heartbreakers. And I loved that little comedy moment of Lucas being brought into the bat-cave.
I think the most implausible part of the plot was the judge's voluntary confession to the hit & run -- I guess his motivation was supposed to be that he wanted to convince them that he didn't murder Belinda, so that they'd find her real killer. But it was a very 'because the plot demands it' scene.
posted by oh yeah! at 5:41 AM on April 22, 2015
It's not really plausible that the other immortal would ask a random nurse to kill him and then tell her why. Especially since he is capable of killing himself. This guys been alive for hundreds of years. There's no way he'd be that sloppy.
posted by rdr at 5:54 AM on April 22, 2015
posted by rdr at 5:54 AM on April 22, 2015
I wanted to add two things that really delighted me - when he ran back to the apartment to tell Abe that the body wasn't Abigail, and the relief and joy on their faces. They play the father-son dynamic really well, despite the visible age flip. Then the final shot of Abigail grabbing a knife and killing herself was so - Abigail. In the brief scenes of her, she's come across as an intelligent and loving and determined woman, and someone who died bravely to protect her husband (and son) - a hero's death.
On paper, it's your classic refrigerator-girlfriend cliche, but the actors made her story and their relationship a lot more - I think because of the way Abe and Henry spoke about her with such respect and affection, and the various actresses who played her mostly did a good job.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 6:32 AM on April 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
On paper, it's your classic refrigerator-girlfriend cliche, but the actors made her story and their relationship a lot more - I think because of the way Abe and Henry spoke about her with such respect and affection, and the various actresses who played her mostly did a good job.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 6:32 AM on April 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
It's not really plausible that the other immortal would ask a random nurse to kill him and then tell her why. Especially since he is capable of killing himself. This guys been alive for hundreds of years. There's no way he'd be that sloppy.
True - and it's also out of character for him to so completely botch the follow-up. We've seen how sneaky and methodical he was about revealing himself to Henry. He could have faked being a non-psychopath to try to gain Abigail's trust, or stalked and tracked her so she'd lead him to Henry. (Or anonymously reported the car crash to see who would claim the body.) But it did give her a heroic death, and realism has never been Forever's strong suit.
posted by oh yeah! at 9:03 AM on April 22, 2015
True - and it's also out of character for him to so completely botch the follow-up. We've seen how sneaky and methodical he was about revealing himself to Henry. He could have faked being a non-psychopath to try to gain Abigail's trust, or stalked and tracked her so she'd lead him to Henry. (Or anonymously reported the car crash to see who would claim the body.) But it did give her a heroic death, and realism has never been Forever's strong suit.
posted by oh yeah! at 9:03 AM on April 22, 2015
It's not really plausible that the other immortal would ask a random nurse to kill him and then tell her why. Especially since he is capable of killing himself. This guys been alive for hundreds of years. There's no way he'd be that sloppy.
He probably didn't think there was any risk in asking her. If she didn't believe him, no harm done in asking, and if she did she wasn't likely to tell anyone else about it, so he didn't need to worry about the Vivisect the Immortal scenario.
posted by homunculus at 1:18 PM on April 22, 2015
He probably didn't think there was any risk in asking her. If she didn't believe him, no harm done in asking, and if she did she wasn't likely to tell anyone else about it, so he didn't need to worry about the Vivisect the Immortal scenario.
posted by homunculus at 1:18 PM on April 22, 2015
Actually what would happen if he thought he was going to slip into a coma or long term treatment? I can see someone immortal who has been trained by so many deaths to prefer a quick death to what modern medicine now has. In the 9th-19th century, grave injuries meant death mostly but if you were immortal and NOT self-repairing - Henry can be injured, he just doesn't age, and it's only death that heals all injuries - so the prospect of spending years trapped in a comatose or paralysed body that doesn't age in a modern hospital is far more risky than trying to get yourself killed by a compassionate nurse. It still doesn't make sense but I can see the writers playing up how dangerous it would be for the immortals to get into the modern medical system.
What about amputations? Does a lost leg presumably reappear in the river? And where does Adam reappear - Henry's tied to a large body of water nearest to him, not the Hudson in particular, given he lived elsewhere. Where does Adam have to reappear?
More seasons I hope!
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 7:12 PM on April 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
What about amputations? Does a lost leg presumably reappear in the river? And where does Adam reappear - Henry's tied to a large body of water nearest to him, not the Hudson in particular, given he lived elsewhere. Where does Adam have to reappear?
More seasons I hope!
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 7:12 PM on April 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
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posted by dorothyisunderwood at 9:04 PM on April 21, 2015