I will wait until you have finished the last episode before commenting. I have the feeling that there may be another series - the basic premise of the show would not rule that out entirely. I can't join in the Broadchurch discussion because it is a few years since I saw it and I can't remember it now. I just watched the first part of a series called "Marianne" - I am not sure about it - it's not particularly original and the lead character is completely dislikeable added to which a lot of it is shot in complete darkness which annoys me a lot.

OK, I finished watching it now. I made an observation earlier I will share now about the I-Land.

-though we were not shown it, Brody apparently raped KC. She did come on to him very strong, we were shown that much, but nothing more. We already had seen him force himself onto Chase in the first episode. But when KC talked to that other girl about what happened she told her "he did what men always do" or words to that effect. That really got to me. It's typical feminist garbage. They talk about rape as normal male behavior. I can't stand that crap. That whole scene was about advancing feminist ideology; 'Rape is typical male behavior.'

Anyway, now I have seen the final episode. This was a pretty interesting plot. The show highlights the tragedy of wrongly convicted people who lose years of their lives in prison. Of course, there are also injustices which negatively affect people living outside prison for years of their lives, which is also tragic. We also see how bad people within the prison system can allow or even directly cause awful things to happen to prisoners.

As far as the plot, I was thinking that virtual reality tech like that could actually be used to help condition people to make good decisions. It wouldn't do miracles, but could train people to develop better coping skills. Life inside the simulation could be quite nice if they wanted it to be. Let's say prisoners with anger and violence issues (which must be common amongst prisoner populations) could be stressed with anger inducing scenarios. They could be trained to de escalate and choose friendly, courteous, behaviors. They could be conditioned to react in a peaceful manner when others humiliate them or frustrate their goals, etc. Each time they make the right choice the simulation would reward them, and when they made the wrong choice, the simulation would change to something they don't really like. Over time they would learn to respond differently to stressors which would ordinarily elicit a violent reaction, giving them a different choice of responses.

I noticed that in the end sequence of scenes they threw in the "Al Gore" scarey global warming, "oceans will rise 25 feet" bullshit. That probably ensured they would get their film distributed since it checked the correct PC box.

I don't think he raped KC - I think she had consensual sex with him. Her whole character was completely cold and calculating. She had an extra marital affair - told her husband and then killed her children - I don't believe the I want to die scenario when she stabbed herself in front of him in the kitchen - that was one way to make sure that help was at hand. Had she truly wanted to die she would have stayed in the car with the children. There was no reason for any of it - there is such a thing as divorce. I think she lied about being raped. He tried to force himself onto Chase - but it didn't take much to make him back off - had he wanted to he could have overpowered her and raped her. That nurse - it made out like she was doing a mercy killing - yet she had killed 25 grannies we hear later - and now the character switch of caring for Donovan who got off pretty light after being attacked by a shark !! She soon reverted to character though !! Flash bang wallop !! The black girl - Taylor - I may have missed a bit but it didn't really explain what she had done - she said it was her boyfriend who did whatever it was - can you recall what they did? Chase and Cooper - so they turned out to be married and he - so loving and protective - had set her up? Make up your minds guys. And a very rapid PC nod - by one of the females "I was married to a woman " Very good dear - box ticked. I am not a fan of forgiveness and redemption being the only way forward - these people were mostly cold blooded psychopaths who killed without remorse. I don't believe that people like these can ever be rehabilitated even with the Pavlov's dogs approach - they simply do not see the world or react to the world as normal people do. You can't condition them. I had to agree with the Sheriff I'm afraid - they spend billions on convicts and bugger all on their victims. I also cannot see why the Sheriff would have ended up on the Island - he may have tried to but he didn't actually kill anybody - would he have ended up on death row - particularly with all the contacts he was supposed to have had. There was only one sympathetic character and that was Chase - and why she would be broke after 25 years of false imprisonment I don't know - don't they have compensation in the future? I guessed when she asked how long she had been there that it would have been a significant amount of time. I don't think they really fleshed out the characters enough to make you remember which was which. I think the Bonnie and Clyde characters were unnecessary but I liked the line. "There are no chickens on the Island" Wahhhhhhh !!!

The black girl robbed a bank with her boyfriend, and a guard was killed. I don't recall if she said she did it by accident, or if she said her boyfriend did it. Maybe her boyfriend did it and since she was his accomplice...but why would she get the death penalty for that? Possible, I suppose. But in this show it doesn't take much to get on death row, so maybe her boyfriend shot the guard and she got death as his accomplice.

I don't think that tech could be used to rehab people completely, and some people seem to be beyond hope. But I was thinking of those who did some lesser crime and are going to be released after serving a sentence. If they have trouble dealing with certain types of situations without becoming angry and or violent, I think such tech could be a useful adjunct to helping them avoid repeating that behavior. It would only use electricity, and not that much of that, so it would save on staffing. But it would make the prisoner's mind go through mulitple scenarios in which good decisions were rewarded. They would have to be taught coping skills first, and then conditioned to use them with the tech. It would be very cost effective; no human being necessary to condition the prisoner, just the equipment. Hell, it could prove to be very powerful over time. The prisoner could be 'triggered' to respond with good decisions and behavior to the same stressors which had previously sent him into a rage. I can see how this tech might have a place in helping protect the public from ex cons. Of course, it wouldn't be completely effective, and some prisoners would likely re-offend and get sent back to prison, but for many it might help them form the mental habits that keep them from hurting people. That was my thinking.

I noticed they checked the lesbian box, and the feminist box, and the global warming box. I am sure the Hollywood execs loved this. "Great Show! Let's produce this one!"

Yeah it makes sense that KC would lie about being raped. She was a first class bitch. Her motive? Maybe to gain sympathy from that girl, or maybe she just liked lying about others to make them look bad. Either one works.

Yeah, that old liberal canard about forgiveness and redemption falls flat with me also. Ex cons are notorious for showing you what they know you want to see. They fool people into giving up their money, into dropping their guards, etc. as a major element in the commission of their crimes. They are highly skilled at this. But the liberals see sincerity in their claims of rehabilitation every time. Once they are released, look how many go right back to their former lives. And psychopaths and sociopaths are the best, or the worst, at this kind of lying. They have no guilt or remorse about it.

Poor Chase. She is old and has no money. That is the writers looking for our sympathy for her. In real life she could have probably sued the courts or someone for her wrongful conviction, and also for whatever unethical things happened to her in prison. Hell, the Warden and that nurse he controlled tried to kill her after she was exonerated and about to be released. She could have sued the prison system for putting her under the care of a sadistic, criminal like him. She should have had lots of options.

Back to that technology: I can see huge commercial uses for it. People would pay big time to experience being young and in love, in romantic locations, or taking great vacations, being a hero of some sort. They would have to fix that part where dying in the simulation would kill you outside the simulation. Apparently you can get hurt badly there and not suffer from it, so long as you come back before you die. So they would just have to make sure that dying there wasn't permanent in the real world.

Shades of "Total Recall" huh !! Where's that wet towel !! It would be nice to have the technology to revisit some part of your life where you were particularly happy - but (here comes another sci-fi reference!) did you ever see a Star Trek Voyager episode called (I think) "The Nexus". This was some kind of roving nebula lightning type thing (can't describe it properly) which picked up people and created their happiest scenarios in it - with the result that nobody wanted to leave it. I could imagine that - if you were so supremely happy in the simulation that gradually you forgot where you came from - your present family etc. Imagine a lost loved one you can be with again - a time when you were young and beautiful - fit and healthy - the possibilities are endless. I think it could be quite soul destroying for those you didn't want to return to. Of course if it was just a holiday or a role playing adventure where there was no fear of harm to yourself or others - yes - I can see how that would work. It would be nice if technology could condition people to deal with their urges in more constructive and appropriate ways - but I think the human brain is too complex for that ever to happen - some part of it would always recognise that it was being manipulated and would react against it - you will never control human nature - not by carrot or stick. Even capital punishment is reckoned to be no deterrent. Do you think there will be another series showing how the Sheriff ended up ?

You mean the prison Warden? I doubt it. They accomplished all they wanted to with the scene of him arriving on the beach. It was the hahaha moment, the "what goes around comes around" moment, he was shown to be getting his just desserts by landing in the simulation he put others into. And the viewer knows he will likely not fare well there, given his nature and his lack of character. I think that was all they intended for that.

Of course if they decide to do another season, they could easily write him into it. I imagine he would be causing problems in the sim, but stopping short of killing anyone, so that he didn't get killed.

Yes - reckon you are right. I am back watching "Justified" for the moment - in between dipping into Netflix now and again to see if they have added anything worth watching. Haven't found anything yet though. Before I forget - I have noticed people in American shows referring to the vig - what does that stand for? I think it has something to do with money.

The vig is interest. I think it comes from the Mafia, when they loan money they also get the vig back, or interest. Actually it is the interest RATE, but the amount of interest earned is also called the vig.

Oh right - thanks. I thought it might have been V.I.G. which stood for something. I've heard it a few times now and wondered what it was exactly. Have you found anything else worth watching? There is a new series called "Unbelievable" on Netflix but it is about a rape and is heavily empowered female driven by the looks of it. However needs must...!! Harking back to an old discussion - I have had the book since a year gone last Christmas - but I am finally getting around to reading it - "Black Dahlia - Red Rose" I am on page 83 and although it is interesting the author is deluging the reader with so much unnecessary detail that it is getting exhausting. She includes the life stories of virtually everybody even vaguely involved in the case - including police officers and reporters and friends of Elizabeth. I am skipping a lot of that stuff because I hate what I believe to be padding. There are 274 pages plus another 70 or so pages of "notes". From her brief bio she never seems to stop talking and/or writing.

today I drove to a neighboring town to visit with an old friend from back in my junior and high school days, a guy named Mike Baker. I guess it has been more than 40 years since I had seen him. We talked about a lot of things, ex wives, health, different things. He related that he used to work at a convenience store when he was married and living in Asheboro, a small town about a 30 minute drive to the south of where I live now. A truck driver used to stop at the store and talk to him sometimes, a young fellow named Sean Patrick Goble. Mike started thinking he might like to become a truck driver and asked Sean if perhaps he could ride along with him and learn the rules and laws for driving trucks, and then take the test for his CDL, or commercial drivers license. But the guy kept putting him off. Mike said they had him over to dinner once, but his wife said he gave her the creeps when he looked at her. One day Mike turned on the television and saw this guy's face on the news. He was a serial killer. He is serving two life sentences now in Tennessee. He confessed to killing three prostitutes and dumping their bodies in other states. The police believe he is guilty of many more however. Can you imagine that? Mike said he was a gentle fellow, soft spoken and well mannered around him. He was very surprised. Sean is 6'3" and weighed 300lbs at the time of his arrest. Of course he didn't want Mike to ride along with him; he was killing women during his trips. He didn't want any company.

I am watching The Americans, and Justified at the moment. I have not been searching for anything recently. But I did notice there is a mini series called Shaka Zulu, 10 episodes. It is supposed to be historical. There was a movie by that name also, I think. It's on Netflix over here. You might see if you can get it, if it interests you

My God - how terrifying - to have a serial killer around for dinner !! He was similar to that guy on "Mindhunter" then - in build and persona - it seems. I can't remember his name now. I don't fancy "Unbelievable" - I dislike anything that enrages me with it's injustice and I have the feeling they will overplay it. I think I read somewhere that truck driving is the go-to profession for serial killers and you can understand why. Full marks to your friend's wife for obeying her instincts. I am still watching "Justified" - small criticisms - one minute Winona is begging Raylan to save Gary because she loves him so much - within what seems like minutes she has left Gary and is back in Raylan's bed. I think they could have made Raylan a bit more of a fighter - he is a Federal Marshall after all - but he goes down like a ninepin in most fights he is in !! I liked Mags - even though she is a villainess - you will be watching her now I think in The Americans as Claudia - if I am not mistaken again!! I liked her singing - I wouldn't be surprised if she was a singer in real life - whoever it was - I liked her voice. I may revisit "The Americans" I am just not sure if I can endure Paige again. My television is not safe when she starts her narcissistic teen angst !!

I find I am much more critical of The Americans the second time around. I know what you mean about Paige. By the way, I thought it very stupid to tell her they were Soviet spies, especially since she was in her teenage angst phase. She was raised as an American, and not as a radical. Would they really risk telling her something like that? One slip up and they would be executed as spies, or at least go to prison. Yeah, Raylan ought to be a better fighter than he is. LEOs are given hand to hand training, but you wouldn't know it to watch Raylan fight. And yes, Winona seems flaky. I guess she has always loved Raylan, he is sort of her bad boy, and Gary was supposed to have qualities Raylan lacks and she was looking for when she left him, I guess. Of course Gary is also a weasel, and a liar and a wimp. So, hard to see how she could still love him.

I heard the same thing about long distance truck drivers and serial killers. There have been a whole lot of serial killing truck drivers. I was kind of stunned when Mike told me about that guy. Ed Kemper is the big guy you're thinking of, I believe. It would be scary to have to fight someone that big. I suppose I would try to jam my thumb hard against his eyeball, which is extremely painful. The natural reflex is to bring your hands back to cover your eye when something hurts it. So that would give me a couple of seconds with which to create distance between him and myself and then jam a thumb in the other eye and thoroughly blind him while I searched for a pencil or knife or something to use to pierce his throat/neck region, or to run. That's a morbid subject.

I have just started re-watching "The Americans" again. I think the acting is good - and it is cast well. I think they capture the sheer ruthlessness of both sides. Elizabeth in particular is pretty hard core and much more violent than Philip (not the Windsors!) who seems more reluctant to use extreme measures unless somebody threatens or hurts Elizabeth. I thought Stan putting Nina in such a dangerous position was pretty nasty - but all's fair in love and war it seems. I am trying to pay closer attention this time because they get involved with so many characters it is hard to keep track. Some appear for just a few minutes before re-appearing further down the line and it's easy to forget who they were - Anneliese is one such character. They show a lot of plotlines without beginnings - for instance when we meet Martha - Philip has been in her life for some time and fooled her that he is some sort of government agent assigned to protect the security of F.B.I. agents. That happens a lot. They have the complete series included with Amazon which is a surprise. I agree that telling Paige they were spies was a monstrous mistake - Paige is a pretty horrible character - she does what she wants and to hell with anyone else - including her brother whom she nearly got killed when they accepted a lift from a psychopath - she really was old enough to know better. What amused me was Elizabeth thinking that Paige was too young for a bra !! At thirteen? I think Paige had the potential to go on in the same profession and be twice as vicious as Elizabeth. I got very bored with Pastor Tim and all the religious episodes - I just fast forwarded them the first time - no wonder I miss so much !! I am only on the first series at the moment - and I still enjoy it. I read in Margo Martingale's (Claudia) bio that she had an ambition to sing on Broadway - so that was probably her singing in "Justified". Yes - that was Ed Kemper - personally I would just try to outrun him!! Ava and Boyd are getting together in "Justified" and Boyd it seems has given up on God and gone back to his old ways. Why am I not surprised? !!

Yeah, I couldn't stand Pastor Tim. I recall that he felt it was his religious duty to keep it a secret that Paige's parents were Soviet spies. Keeping that a secret is an act of treason. There is no Christian doctrine I know of which justifies what he did. Christians are supposed to obey their government according to St. Paul, since God allowed that government over them. So the Pastor had a duty to turn them in, the same as if someone confessed to murder. This time I may fast forward through some parts.

Right, Martha was already a feature in the first season. The first time we see her she is already being worked by Philip. That whole bit was over the top. She should have had some questions. She should have asked some questions of someone about the department which checks up on the FBI. And for Philip to actually marry her, and then tell her her parents could not come to the wedding, and that nobody could know about the wedding or he could lose his job, etc. was too much I thought. Martha had to be extremely stupid not to ask questions somewhere along the line.

And excuse me, but once she found out he was a Soviet spy, how could she not have turned him in? How could she still love him? Nobody is that stupid, that lovestruck, that forgiving about being lied to.

Anneliese was another interesting character. She thought Philip was a Swedish Intelligence officer, and she was not only taken in by that, but she agreed to betray her husband and her country and spy for Swedish intelligence, as far as she knew. It boggles the mind, but I suppose there are people willing to do that.

I agree that Pastor Tim had some strange ideas about protecting Soviet Spies. I haven't come to it yet - but I think they brought some fake guy along with them (he may have said he was a priest too - but I am not sure) and told Tim that they weren't spies in the ordinary sense - they were just spying on things that would save humanity - to make sure that all the world benefitted from research regarding crop health and production and good stuff like that. They lied through their teeth of course when they assured him they had killed nobody. Still - Pastor Tim was pretty naïve - I thought he was also totally stupid to tell his gossipy wife about them. I thought if a person tells a priest something he cannot tell anybody else about it - including the police - (which I think is idiotic and irresponsible) and logically including his wife. Martha was a forty something spinster - I don't think she had much sexual experience - it would have been easy to fool her to begin with - but as you say - when she found out he was a Soviet spy it should have fallen on her like a ton of bricks that he felt nothing for her and had merely used her - that would have been enough for most women to turn him in but she was deeply in love with him and he had promised her a future together in Russia. Don't the FBI have classes where they warn employees to look out for strange people trying to ingratiate themselves with them? To be fair to Philip - he did care for her in a way - he was concerned for her welfare. I think it was dreadful what they did to the wife of that blonde guy who died in the hospital - he was a hero they said - here's the baby - shame about the wife. How is that going to go down with future "heroes" - how do they expect to recruit people if that is how they treat their loved ones. I can sort of understand Anneliese - she was Swedish so maybe she figured Sweden was her country and she was being patriotic. I am not sure again - but I have the feeling she reappears as an agent later on. "Justified" is getting on my nerves a bit - I have enjoyed it up to now - but it is getting repetitive with Boyd recruiting his cousin (wheelchair bound) and a bunch of other roughnecks to go to war against the Bennetts now that Mags has passed the weed business on to Dickie. It also irritates me the inference that two women have kept the balance of peace for years - maybe in the case of Mags - who had the man power in her sons to threaten and intimidate people - but Helen - she talks and acts tough but where's her back-up? And Arlo? How low can you go to betray your own son? I wouldn't have shot him in the leg or the arm or wherever it was - I would have killed him. What a low-life.