GGR Reviews Helix — “274”

From Geek Goes Rogue TV Editor Zach W. Lorton, as told to by the stuffed dog sitting on the shelf beside him, which now looks completely more menacing than it did at 4 years old…

Here be spoilers.

“Where the hell is my monkey?”

More questions are asked than answered in “274”, the third episode of Syfy’s latest original series, Helix.  Picking up from episode 2, we find others have been infected, and Julia is trying to cope with the fact that Peter has assaulted her and infected her with the mystery virus.  This is perhaps the first time we’ve seen Julia be more than a little vulnerable, and Kyra Zagorsky is proving in this episode to be a capable lead.  And the role of Julia is also becoming an official Interesting Character because of her.

I have a beef with this series for a couple reasons.  One is Billy Campbell, who plays Dr. Alan Farragut, the lead CDC agent on location.  He’s the brother of Peter, the sole survivor of the virus from the series pilot, and so far, the most dangerous person in the Arctic compound.  Campbell has shown himself a worthy actor in previous roles (The Rocketeer and the television series Once and Again, for example), but this one doesn’t seem to suit him.  Part of it could be his obvious attempts to not ham it up, but I think part of it has to do with my second beef — the screenwriting.

Why would a writer allow characters to make decisions that are so blatantly against their own best interests and the interests of those around them?  When the monkey that Dr. Boyle (Catherine Lemieux) is working on disappears, she and Major Balleseros (Mark Ghanimé) don’t tell anyone, but attempt to get another monkey to study.  Granted, Dr. Boyle thinks foul play may be afoot, so that’s why she goes along with it, but you’d think she’d tell somebody, instead of just lying to Alan when he asks about her progress.

But then you also wonder why Julia doesn’t tell Alan she’s been assaulted by Peter.  Or why Alan announces his intention to contact the armed forces once the communication satellite comes back into range, knowing that Dr. Hatake hasn’t been as forthcoming as he should have been.  It’s because of this spoken intention that someone ends up destroying the communications dish, a move that I think every member of the viewing audience saw coming.

So far, the only character that has consistently been compelling throughout this series is also the one who has the shortest bio page on Syfy’s website — Daniel Aerov (Meegwun Fairbrother), the assistant and adopted son of Dr. Hatake, who is fiercely loyal to Hatake and acts as the head of security at the facility.  He displays wisdom beyond his years, and has no qualms about gunning down an infected patient when it appears they will infect someone else.  He then lectures Alan about it, challenging his moral code by stating that the only reason Alan didn’t pull the trigger himself was because he wasn’t the one holding the gun.  It’s a great moment, but when compared to the other “WTH” moments in the writing throughout the series, the inconsistency is irritating.

One bright light in this series is the production values, specifically the cinematography.  There are some creative shots used, almost all of them having to do with how a character is framed, positioned, or lit.  Every time we see the back of a character’s head for more than 2 seconds, it adds to the feeling of claustrophobia and uncertainty that makes this show a compelling thriller.

So if you haven’t taken the time to check out Helix yet, I am pleased to report that while there are some slipshod moments, there is a style to this program that is overwhelmingly positive.  Let’s hope the writing in the future episodes lives up to the promise of its quality production values.

Zach W. Lorton is a media producer and professional DJ/MC by trade, and a comedian, actor, and musician by default.  His debut music project is set to begin recording in 2014, and will likely take the world by storm, possibly in the form of a Sharknado.