Sentinel 4x8: The Sentinel by Blair Sandburg

[zelempa]

Huh, that didn't take as long as I thought it would. It's obscenely, pornographically long, too.

"With flourish and gusto (and some unnecessary Powerpoint-esque sound effects from the bored foley guy), he types, 'THE END.' Just a killer ending for your academic opus there, Perrault. Incidentally, I have it on good authority that Blair's is the first doctoral thesis to be set 'once upon a time, in a faraway land...'"

THE SENTINEL BY BLAIR SANDBURG

So that's it! What's next for this intrepid recapper? If I get up the energy I might just redo season 1 in the current meticulously detailed style. But, I also have some of the kind of work people get paid for which I should really stop neglecting... Nahhh.

Comments

[janedavitt.livejournal.com]

I know I make a big deal about how every little shoulder-touch means they want to bone each other and I guess that probably cheapens this, but, and I am having a fleeting moment of seriousness here, whether you believe their relationship is sexual in nature or not, you have to admire the bond of love between them. Here we have the proof that it's unbreakably strong, surpassingly important, and entirely unselfish. For me, the depth of that bond is the perpetually-surprising quality which takes this lame semi-supernatural cop show with problematic plots and makes it something more, something worth devoting time and thought and creative energy to.

That and Blair's mouth.

Okay, I think I lost the strand of seriousness somewhere, there.

Mega huge quotation there but I couldn't bring myself to cut it because, WORD and ::loves you::

I've enjoyed these recaps so much and our discussions following them.

And you should totally redo S1 with more detail not work! Goodness me.

This episode breaks me into bitty bits. I know it'll work out in the end but I wallow happy and tearful in the Slough of Despond nontheless.

Jim's so hurt and I love that this isn't coming out of nowhere; that we've had 4 seasons of canon about trust issues to back this up.

The reconciliation scene; oh, man. Notice how they can't look each other in the eye; fleeting glances. They eye-lock and they'd have burst into freaking tears, I tell you.

I don't think Blair could have changed Jim's name; it's all about the cop he rode around with and so many people know that it's Jim. If he changed the job, too, and the city, well... still dodgy. Because if this mysterious Sentinel isn't Jim, then who the hell is he? Blair hasn't had TIME to study anyone else; he and Jim are joined at the hip and have been for years.

I agree that I don't think Blair wanted to do anything but write it and know he had. He'd got the message that anything else would hurt Jim and the near death experience had shown him where his priorities lay.

I wish they could have, you know, DISCUSSED THIS and Blair's future before it all blew up in their faces, but, eh; men.

And you're kinder to Naomi - they all are -- than I feel. She might have had good motives but she didn't give Blair space and she didn't listen.

And Sid's pure slime. Back off, mister!

Blair's speech has me choked up and sniffling every time. That's how you prove to Jim that you love him (any way you want to view their love); you give up everything for him; you put him first. I'm not saying that's all that healthy a basis for every relationship, but it works for them and Blair's had three/four years practice at it after all.

I can't see Blair a cop and I know the actors weren't that happy with it (realistically, it wouldn't happen, but we can wave that away as it's the finale).

And I think Simon murmurs the very last words; something about 'we've got to go down to the woods' which makes little sense but it's nice to go out on. Blair squirming in a headlock isn't my favourite bit, either; it's a bit undignified (I'd have preferred the Once More With Feeling one: 'the curtains close on a kiss, God knows, we can tell the end is near...') but it lets Jim get his hands all over him in an acceptably manly way, I guess.

[laurie-ky.livejournal.com]

I snuck a peek at this at work and then was very glad nobody was in the room all us peons share as I had to keep wiping my eyes. You did a great job and I've loved reading your take on the show and the captions under the pictures.

I think Blair could have pulled off being a cop, he's so talented he could go many different directions, but he couldn't have just jumped into the detective's spot. Granted, he wouldn't have been your typical cop but I bet he'd have been great in something with community policing. And he'd already resolved the "should I use a gun issue a long time ago.' I checked the Police Academy near Seattle, and they have an excellerated program,if you've had some prior experience, but I think Blair would have taken all the classes or at least tested out of them. He would have tried to minimize the resentment of him cutting up to the top. And I don't think he could have been made detective that fast. Whatever union represents the cops would have been screaming. I do think he could have been assigned as a patrolman to Major Crimes. Testifying with a record as an admitted fraud, they'd have to work on that. As a hundred million fics have tried to do to make things right. I have an idea that I'm going to use in the sequel to A Fair Distance, my WIP, about how he could salvage his diss and the research he's put into it.
Again, really enjoyed your reviewing, the jokes and snark (everyone on this show has a partner)and the appreciation of a relationship we watched build into the love that was shown on this episode.
Laurie

[demeter94.livejournal.com]

I totally loved all of your recaps of The Sentinel. Reminding me all over again why I love the show - and, very inspiring. Thanks for sharing them!

[liz6446.livejournal.com]

I'm one who thinks Blair would make a great cop and would love the job too. While everyone brings up the fraud issue as a possible obstacle to his being accepted, I actually think that's the least of his problems. Not to make Blair sound like a criminal, but he does have a lot of illegal activities in his past which could come to the surface in a background check. If Blair did participate in protests and chain himself to trees, he mostly likely has an arrest on file, which would probably disqualify him right away. The rest of his illegal activities that we know of: impersonating a doctor, stealing medical records, forgery, and illegal gambling are things only Jim knows about. While I doubt Jim would volunteer this information, any background check on Blair would probably include an interview with Jim and put him in a really difficult position. That brings up a good question: Would Jim lie through his teeth to get Blair onto the force? Would Blair allow Jim to lie and jeopardize his career to get on the force? How would Jim explain how he and Blair met without bringing up the Sentinel thing?

There's also the issue of Blair getting his observer position on the pretense of writing his thesis on a phoney subject. The PTB at the PD may feel that this is enough to question his qualifications. I also wonder if Jim might get into trouble too, because he went along with the whole non-existant thesis set-up.

I'm afraid I can't be as forgiving of Naomi. I know she was only trying to help her son, but even after Blair told her to leave it alone, she was still making things worse with her Nobel committee connection. Also, once she realized she'd made a mess of everything, it was still all about her. She only cared about whether Blair forgived her or whether he still loved her. She never asked if there was anything she could do to help Blair or fix the situation.

I'd love it if you'd continue the reviews. I've enjoyed reading them.


Liz