Rip-off: Memento
Summary: Leonard Shelby is a man with retrograde amnesia, who is trying to find his wife's murderer. The film is told in two stories. One (shown in color) follows Leonard's investigation, which is shown in reverse chronological order. The other story (shown in black-and-white) follows Leonard's phone conversation with an anonymous caller as he compares his condition to that of a client he formerly dealt with.LHdP spin: Blackman was introduced in S8 as a vigilante who seems to possess supernatural powers. In this episode he wakes up in a shipyard, covered in blood with a license plate number etched into his arm and no memory of what happened to him or who he is. The license plate number leads him to Don Lorenzo, whom he hopes can help him figure out who he is and what happened to him. Deker informs Blackman that he was drugged and that's why he doesn't remember a thing. Additionally, he guesses that Blackman etched DL's license plate number into his arm so that he would have a starting point to go to for help should he lose his memory. Throughout the course of the episode, he has flashbacks of things that occurred prior to when he woke up on the docks, but they are shown in reverse chronological order.
Rip-off: Flatliners
Summary: Five medical students experiment with methods to create near-death experiences in an attempt to gain some insight into the afterlife. During their temporary deaths, they have visions and remember forgotten memories from their past.LHdP spin: In an attempt to help Blackman remember what happened to him, Deker drugs him in the hopes that it will help him get his memory back. As a result, Blackman goes into shock before flatlining. When he's revived, he requests that Deker kill him again, because he saw some of his forgotten memories. After some deliberation, Deker agrees, and Blackman is able to remember all of the events that happened to him at the shipyard.
Epic fail: These rip-offs fail, because there is absolutely no point to the storyline they are used in. It doesn't relate in any way to the "66.6" plot and just makes the show feel more disjointed than it already is. The only possible purpose that I could find for this storyline was to set-up the Blackman-Amaia love story. And so that Dani could get shot in the next episode and we could all get a reprieve from his incessant whining. Thus, these wasted rip-offs were done merely so that Blackman could meet Amaia and they could fall in love. IMO, it would've made more sense if they injected Blackman into the "66.6" storyline itself, especially given the fact that he appears to have some supernatural abilities. Additionally, given how literal these rip-offs were, it makes me believe the writers just got lazy when writing this episode.Rip-off: Caprica and Battlestar Galactica
Summary: A Colonial civilization of humans create Cybernetic Life Nodes (or "Cylons") to serve as robotic soldiers and later, as workers. Over time, the Cylons rebel against their human creators and a war ensues until both parties sign an armistice and the Cylons disappear. During their absence, the Cylons evolve and create 12 models to look like humans ("skin jobs"), although the robotic models ("Centurions") remain. Forty years later, the Cylons return to eliminate the human race and pursue a rag-tag fleet of human survivors, who attempt to find the long-lost colony of Earth.LHdP spin: While in the shooting gallery with Pove, WIN-E engages in some target practice himself, showing that aside from being able to learn, he was also built to be a soldier.
Epic fail: Again, I see no purpose in having WIN-E around. Granted, he was sent in to scope out the warehouse later on in the episode, and given that he's a robot, it afforded the Pacos an extra sense of protection. However, they were busting into buildings and bumbling their way through crime scenes long before WIN-E came along. So again, I just don't see the point in adding an artificial character into the show.Rip-off: Nikita (film) and La Femme Nikita (TV series)
Summary: In the original French film, Nikita is a drug addict who kills a police officer during a botched robbery. She is sentenced to life in prison but is later "recruited" by the French intelligence agency and trained to be an assassin. The television series follows a similar premise, where Nikita is recruited to become an operative for Section One, a top secret counterterrorist organization. In both versions, Nikita's only choices are to comply with the organization or be killed. However, unlike the film, in the television series Nikita is not a drug addict, nor had she killed anyone prior to her recruitment into Section. She was framed, but Section believes that she is a killer and thus, that is the reason why they recruited her. Throughout the series, Nikita struggles to balance her role as an operative with her sense of morality.LHdP spin: Marina Salgado is a member of the CNI, Spain's intelligence agency. The CNI are aware of the fact that Pepa killed El Gordo and want to recruit her as an assassin, believing her to be a killer. When Pepa refuses, Salgado uses the fact that Pepa made Aitor her accomplice to blackmail Pepa into compliance.
Yes, I realize this pic is from Ep. 108, but what would you rather see:Pepa with Salgado, or Pepa blindfolded with a gun?
Yeah, that's what I thought.
Epic win: I don't think that this rip-off is an epic fail. At least not yet, which is why I've decided to dub it an epic win. Is it my PepSi bias or my love for La Femme Nikita that is clouding my judgment? Maybe, but of all the rip-offs thus far, I think this one actually has the potential to succeed. First of all, it's a nice hybrid of both the film and TV series, which is why I included both in the summary. Like the film, Pepa did kill someone, so she's not innocent. However, as she herself admitted, it was for personal reasons. It's this distinction that separates her from other assassins or hired guns - she doesn't want to kill or be a killer. Nevertheless, the CNI have recruited her, because they believe that she is a killer, much like in the TV series. Secondly, like Anne Parillaud and Peta Wilson, I believe Laura Sánchez has developed the acting chops necessary to pull off a character like this. So, depending on the direction Pina & Co. take with this storyline, it remains to be seen whether this rip-off will continue to be an epic win or turn into an epic fail.
Rip-off: Dexter
Summary: Dexter Morgan is a forensic blood splatter analyst with the Miami Metro Police Department. He also happens to be a serial killer who only kills those "who deserve it", such as criminals who have evaded criminal prosecution. Season 1 deals with the Miami PD and Dexter's pursuit of "The Ice Truck Killer," a serial killer who targets prostitutes, mutilates their bodies, and leaves them bloodless.LHdP spin: While searching for the third victim, Rita notices that there is a truck in San Marcos square, which has been illegally parked for three days. It turns out that the third victim is located in the truck.
Epic fail: Granted, it's a bit of a stretch to call this one a true rip-off, because again, it's such a subtle similarity. While the killer here is a serial killer, the victim's body was not mutilated, nor was there any indication that she was left bloodless. Thus, the only similarity is that she was discovered in a refrigerated truck. Again, I'll admit that at this point I'm kinda nitpicking by including this as a rip-off, but after all the previous ones that have been spotted, I'm starting to get annoyed at any rip-off I see, no matter how subtle it is.Feel free to add any other rip-offs you may have spotted, as well as your thoughts in agreement or dissent.
kalike
*The title for this lecture is based on lyrics from the song "Disarm" by The Smashing Pumpkins
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