The Event: “Arrival” Season Finale with Science and “Physics of the Impossible” Analysis!

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Hello The Event fans,

We have seen Sean Walker (Jason Ritter) and Vicky Roberts (Taylor Q Cole) fight the billionaire James Dempsey (Hal Holbrook), who we thought was evil, but turned out to be from a line of people called ‘Sentinels’ who are here to protect Earth and its people from the Others.

When Dempsey saw Sean was worthy of being one of them, he turned over the tools he had, told them what was going on with the Aliens and committed suicide. Sean and Vicky went on an international scale to fight the “Others” in releasing a biological weapon to kill humanity and make room for their people to come to Earth, escaping a Supernova.

We saw them finally meeting Blake Sterling (Zeljko Ivanek) and Simon Lee (Ian Anthony Dale) where they all joined forces to fight Sophia Maguire (Laura Innes), Raymond Jarvis (Bill Smitrovich) and the plan to kill everyone here.

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Using a Fake PI

Sophia had three main points of initiating the virus among the world’s population. A food processing plant would get to six states and infect the eastern seaboard, the Government engraving plant where all currency is printed would spread it on a national level and the international terminal at Dulles Airport in Washington D.C. would make the disease go global. Soon, the disease would be worldwide and in five weeks the human population would be dead.

Global Spread

President Elias Martinez (Blair Underwood) was saved by a counter-agent which Simon Lee was able to smuggle within a bouquet of flowers which Christina Martinez (Lisa Vidal) picked up for the President in the hospitals’ florist’s shop. Christina got the medication to Elias and he was recovering from the strokes he had had in the last episode. Blake and Simon were know in Sean and Vicky, they got information from Dr. Liu’s laptop and were trying to find a way to stop the plans to release the virus. Sean found Leila Buchanan (Sarah Roemer) in the medical sector of the alien’s Evacuation Center, we left them there as Leila, behind a protective plastic wall was talking with Sean.

Sean and Leila Reunited!

Sophia was talking with Gerard on the final preparations at the site of the Portal array in Tibet. With everything ‘All Set and Ready”, she ordered the activation of the Portal. The effects of the activation reminded me of a ‘Wormhole’ being created.

Birth of a Wormhole

Over The Earth

“ARRIVAL”

“Leila?… Leila?” Sean’s distant voice is calling softly to Leila through the plastic. “Sterling’s called a specialist at the CDC…Under the radar… they said they’ll be here any minute. OK?” Sean tries to keep her awake. Leila tells him they have to stop Sophia. She tells him that it is too late for her. Sean points out that Simon told them his people are immune to it. She has their DNA so he remains more optimistic than she is right now. As Leila tells Sean to find Samantha (Her little sister as remembered in past episodes) and make sure she is okay, she starts to fade off as the CDC and some others come in to take her to a facility where she will be cared for.

CDC Specialist

Now, Sterling, Simon and Vicky are looking over the laptop and finds the graphics of the planned spread of the Bio-weapon. Using a reverse time line, they will know when the attack will take place. They find the locations and details about the specialized aerosol containers. Blake tells them “That means they’re either on their way, or already in place!” Cue Exit by the three to find Sean and get a move on.

Canisters
Sophia and Carlos, in an SUV are traveling through the city and Carlos is appraising Sophia of what is happening with their plans. Sophia tells him; “All right. …Pull over here.” Carlos asks “Is there a problem?” to which Sophia replies “It’ll be safer when we’re stopped” Carlos pulls over and they both get out. Just as Carlos asked “Sophia, what are we doing here?” a rather large earthquake happens.

Earthquake scene

Cars veer, collide, people screaming or yelling etc. After this dies off, Carlos asked “How did you know?” Sophia replies “Gerard. He says the portal would impact the Earth’s procession. We’d feel the effects along the thirty eighth parallel as the time grew near. The Portal is creating a door in the fabric of space and we just cracked it open.”

Earthquake Aftermath

Carlos seems to sense her unease “Sophia, I know you have mixed feeling about what we’re doing to the native population… Think of the alternative!” Sophia tells Carlos “Our people will be arriving soon.” Sighing, she finishes “I don’t have time for self-doubt. We have to get this done!”. Music plays as we see a shot overlooking the Earth and the blue cloud out past the stratosphere growing in size.

Portal Enlarges

We are now hearing a newscaster saying a “Small Earthquake measuring four point six on the Richter scale was felt along the East coast today. There have been no reports of any injuries or deaths…” OKAY! I live in Southern California and know Earthquakes quite well. They have awakened me a number of times like an arrogant lover in the early morning hours. The effect scene of the earthquake making cars move and veer and so on, made ME think more of a magnitude six point five up to an eight perhaps, at the actual epicenter. I have easily slept through a three or lower four, without difficulty.

News about Quake

Martinez is on the phone to Blake They discuss what Sophia’s plans are. Martinez tells him Jarvis is fighting his reinstatement as President and Martinez is demanding a vote by the cabinet, but until that happens, Martinez cannot issue any orders. When they both find time is not on their side, Martinez says that they can launch contained operations at the food center and the bureau of Engraving, but shutting down an airport is another matter. Blake comes back into where Vicky, Sean and Simon are readying for their part. They discuss how to stop the airport becoming the ‘Ground Zero’ of the bio-weapon.

Analyzing data

Martinez and Jarvis

Martinez comes to see Jarvis in the office as everything is being made ready for the cabinet. Martinez tries to reason with Jarvis and tells him what Sophia is planning. Jarvis will not believe him and instead, accuses Martinez of trying to make him look inept in front of the cabinet. Martinez feels defeated as Jarvis dismisses him and goes in to his office, immediately calling Sophia. Jarvis tells her what just happened with Martinez, and of course Sophia tells him that the plans are not true.

Sophia On Phone

She strokes his ego by telling him “Tomorrow, there will be a New World Order, with your guiding hand. You only need to hang on, for one more day. Do you understand?” She asks and he says yes. She continues “We must not let anyone get in our way. Can you do that?” again, Jarvis says yes. Sophia nails it with “I chose you! Because of your strength, your power…use it!”. She uses that soft ‘little girl’ type voice and Jarvis totally buys it. As they hang up, Sophia tells Carlos as he drives; “We may have a problem. They know… Somehow, they know.”

In a hangar at Dulles, Sophia enters and her operative takes the two bags she is carrying to get them through security. He gives them a card to get them through and she can pick up her bags once inside the terminal. Sophia tells the operative that they can not wait. That now their plan is known. She tells them they must release the virus immediately. We see the operative walking off with the bags.

In Dulles Hangar

A newscaster is out on location by Mount Shasta. reporting that volcanic experts are stumped by the finding of new lava flows from this once thought to be dormant volcano. We see smoke and steam rising from the summit off in a distance behind her. She is saying there is no official notice of any evacuations as yet. The TV screen retreats back to let us see we are in the White House, and Christina is preparing Elias’ medications as he enters with Peel.

They discuss Blake and Simon being on the way, and two civilians, whom we know are Sean and Vicky even think the chances of success is small. Christina brings the medications to Elias trying once again to talk him out of going for reinstatement. “It looks worse than it is” he tells her. Christina admonishes him and reminds him of what the doctors said. “You could… You could die…” she says painfully.

Christina Begs Elias

Food Processing Plant

In the Food Processing plant we see a canister of the bio-weapon being prepared and also coming up the corridor are Military personnel. A tactical unit to stop the virus being released. Shouts of “Freeze!” and a short burst of gunfire results in Sophia’s operative falling-presumably dead- onto cases of produce.

Dead Operative

Next, we see two operatives in the Bureau of Engraving talking about getting the set up done and accessing the control room to switch over to the infected canisters. Right at that time, the tactical squad comes in and lays those two to rest as well. Devon, one of Sophia’s people gets away for a time.

Engraving Facility

Dulles International Airport

Then, we are at the International terminal at Dulles as Sean, Blake, Simon and Vicky come speeding into the parking lot. After a short debrief, they split up. Sean and Vicky into the Terminal to find Sophia, Blake and Simon to the secured off-limits are to search for the toxin. As the Operative at the terminal chats to another TSA agent the (human) agent says “Confiscate anything interesting? …Whoa…” he laughs as he pulls out some ‘sexy’ handcuffs. “Mind if I keep these? Me and the wife like to keeps things invigorating”.

The other, posing as a TSA man said “OOOOH, To Much Information, you know what? Just keep ’em!” and continues with the cart – and the canisters- onto an elevator. Sophia got caught for a ‘random check at the search area. She gets wanded and released.The iPhone rings as she is finishing at TSA, and it is Devon. He is on the phone to Sophia telling her they have been caught it is up to her now. As we see the Tactical team yell “Freeze” and of course Devon moves, Sophia and we all hear short gunfire as Devon is taken out.

Devon on Phone

Now, at the Capital, the cabinet has convened for the possibility of reinstating Elias Martinez back into the Presidency. As Martinez enters the room, all stand and applaud for him. As he enters he look dazed and passes out.

Elias Applauded

Back at Dulles Blake and Simon try to ask a TSA agent about anyone also with TSA credentials passing him. They had to pull a gun to get him to say “Yeah, Delgado just came by with a cart full of stuff.” Off they went to find this ‘Delgado’ agent. Sophia and Carlos come into the security area and use the card to gain access to the off-limits area. Blake and Simon do get to ‘Delgado’ and gunfire erupts. Simon Lee gets hit and Delgado runs off. Blake gets over to Simon, who is okay as he was wearing a bulletproof vest.

Meanwhile Sean and Vicky slam their way into a secured zone behind someone else who was going in. Delgado and Sophia do meet up and she retrieves the canisters from him. As Sophia issues final orders Sean and Vicky see them all and again, more gunfire. Delgado is hit. Gun play between Carlos, Sean and Vicky ensues as Sophia gets away. Sean goes after her. Just as it looks like Carlos will release the virus from his canister, he is shot from behind… by Blake Sterling.

Sophia and Carlos in Dulles

The Cabinet is reconvening now, as it seems Martinez is not present, Madame Speaker is about to withdraw his petition. Just as she is saying this, Martinez comes in to the room, …Again, to applause… “Madame Speaker”, he says…”Let’s begin”. Sean is, at this same time in Dulles chasing down Sophia.

We come back to the Cabinet meeting as Jarvis addresses them and shows dossiers about Elias Martinez’s medical condition. Jarvis reminds them how Martinez needs ‘Months’ of rehabilitation, how he was in a vegetative state and that even though Martinez wants to do “…the right thing for his country, but according to the medical evidence, to take office now would not be in the best interest of anyone…especially not himself.” Martinez looks at all in the room, and tells them he has to come back to save everyone from a tragedy of major proportion. He then makes the large accusation about Jarvis. Jarvis finally burst out “He’s LYING!!” on which Martinez brings out a small recorder and plays it for them all.

Jarvis Recorded!

We hear Jarvis and Martinez from earlier about the poison, about Sophia and so on. “Amid Jarvis’ claims of this being a set-up, Martinez says “Madame Speaker, we must take a vote… NOW!” We then see them all leaving and Martinez… Excuse me, PRESIDENT Martinez is ordering the Dulles Airport to be locked down, and Blake Sterling and General Ambruster are to be reinstated. Peel asked “What about Jarvis?” President Martinez looks at him and say “Who?” –I’m thinking “BURN!! Yeah! Get ’em Elias!”

Martinez Reinstated!

We are back in Dulles Airport and I can see Sophia’s fire-red hair glinting in the crowds as she is making her way to a place appropriate to release the virus. If I can see that hair, we know Sean does too. the chase is on.

Sophia Spotted!

Ironically, or perhaps deliberately, Sophia holes up in a lounge belonging to Avias Air. As we recall, this was the carrier of the original airplane that traveled the wormhole and crashed in episodes one and two. As she is in there, Sean comes to the door and is calling to her, trying to break the door down. Vicky sees the boards all over announcing the lock down of all flights and the airport itself being shut down.

Flights are Cancelled!

Sean is at the lounge door talking through it to Sophia. He tells her what has happened to her other locations and this is now of no use. He asks her “Do these people deserve to die?” Sophia replies with her voice breaking “Did my people deserve to die? On those buses, did my SON deserve to die?”

Sophia with Canister in Lounge

Sean replies “No.” Sophia repeats “No” and starts to connect the virus canister to what appears to be a timer. “You don’t want this!” cries Sean through the door… “You don’t know me” Sophia mutters. Vicky is with Sean outside in the terminal and is looking around at the chaos. Sean continues, reminding Sophia she was not always like this.

Sean Talks to Sophia

When they had met before, she had said her people came here in peace. It ends there with Sean saying he knew about the Nova, about Sophia being forced to do things to try to save her people. There has been too much pain. But there does not have to be any more pain…. “No one else needs to get hurt” he says. Sophia finally disarms the devise and comes up to handcuffs and arrest.

Sophia Relents

At the CDC, Leila is laying in her bed, in the bio-hazard sector and the specialist who came for her at the Evacuation center and Dr. Lius’ section earlier comes to talk to her. “You should know the spread of the virus has been stopped. At least in part because of someone you know… Sean Walker” Relief from Leila when told he is okay. “There’s something else, Leila.” The specialist continues “Something we found in your labs.”

We Found Something Else

Okay, Hold up. I can hear it without it being said… Leila is Pregnant. We should realize the show’s timeline in it’s reality has only been about two months. I know she is not even ‘Showing’ yet. But I cannot help thinking Dr. Liu dropped the ball on THIS! Blood work shows pregnancy at six weeks if not before.

Back at Dulles, there are screening canopies up outside as the Hazard team is in containing the virus left in the Avias Air lounge. Simon and Sean are out there sitting down and talking. Simon tells Sean “Look, this isn’t over yet. I don’t know how, but Sophia’s still bringing our people here… Sean, what you need to know is; Our people were here before. We were here first.” Sean looking a bit confused replies “I don’t…I don’t understand..”… Simon continued “This place was our home before it was yours.”

Simon Tells Sean

Sean asked “Why did you…Leave?” Simon replied “Because my people believe that if we stay here, something will happen…to all of us. We call it The Event. It’s a rebirth. The next step for our people, will change… Evolve into something else. Something greater. But your people won’t survive it.” “Why not? What’s going to happen?” asks Sean. Simon looks at Sean and seems lost for words. Blake comes to tell Simon their transport is here. “Simon, Simon! Sean beseeches. Simon for an answer. Simon only tells him all the “…answers are in that scroll. About where we come from, and about how this all ends.”

Hugs From Blake
Handshake For Simon

 

At the White House, Blake and Simon enter to see President Martinez. Simon is thanked for his role in saving Martinez’s life. They start to speak about Sophia’s plan of bringing her people here and how many of them. That rumors have the Portal array being somewhere in Asia, but a precise location is not known. Blake speculates along with the other when Agent Peel comes in with the hourly logs from every department and he sees the time that Jarvis ordered to redirect a satellite from its’ view of Tibet.

Next we observe that they are in the ‘War Room’ And viewing the streaming data from that satellite. An area between the Indian Sub-Continent and the Tibetan plateau. A communication cites unusual electromagnetic activity and the image hones in on the location. Watching the videos, they see it. The Portal Array. Simon tells them the electromagnetic readings they are getting means it has been activated. “What does that mean?” asked Agent Peel. Martinez looks at them as he says “It means they’re coming”.

Portal Array from Satellite

In the serene scene of space, above the Earth and off to the distant side, the Moon, we see the bright, blue haze growing larger and larger. We are pulled into the ‘wormhole’ and are almost in a sea of vibrant blue plasma-like surroundings. We are back in the ‘War Room’ as communications are going on about this Portal. Someone gets up to hear the news from all over the world. Tremors are happening on devastating scale. Peel walks in on a phone. Hanging up, he tells them “Sophia’s a few minutes away.”

World News Coverage

Back in a lobby at the CDC, Vicky comes in with a coffee and offers Sean some. Sean declines the offer and tells her “I really appreciate you waiting with me but you don’t have..” Just as the specialist walks in “Mr. Walker, you’ve been clear to see Leila in the observation area. I’ll take you there.” As Sean starts to follow her, Vicky calls him back for a minute: “I didn’t join this fight willingly, I know that. But, you forcing me to is the reason my family’s safe. And, because of you, I’m no longer ashamed to face them”

Sean, Vicky Hugs Goodbye

 

She whispers “Thank you.” An embrace happens and Sean goes off with the specialist. We reach the observation area and Sean sees Leila and they talk a bit. He still thinks they may still help Leila. Leila tells Sean that she is pregnant. Of course he is actually overjoyed. “You’re BOTH going to be OK!”

Sean and Leila Love

Sophia Brought in

Back at the White House, Sophia is brought in to Martinez’s office. Elias tells Sophia “We’ve identified the Portal array in Tibet. We know it’s bringing your people here.” Simon interjects “I’ve told them…everything I know about the Portal.” President Martinez asks “How do we stop it, Sophia? How do we shut it down?” “You can’t” Sophia replies. “Do you have a pre-determined landing site?” Martinez asked. “You know I won’t answer that.” replies Sophia.

Sophia in Oval Office

“Sophia, it’s over! You know you’ve lost. We stopped you.” Sophia, looks down for a minute saying “You might find this hard to believe, but the truth is I ordered the spread of the virus as an act of mercy. We will still need to make room for our people here on Earth or another way only now, the choice left open to us will be…far from humane” Elias stared at her demanding “what the Hell’s that supposed to mean?” Sophia softly says “I’m sorry, Mr. President” “Sorry about what?” Asked Martinez Sophia, smiling says “It’s too late.” as an earthquake begins.

In the Wormhole!

We are traveling up into the blue plasma-like wormhole and the noise seems to be indicating great speed. As the sound effects play, we then see scenes of streets filled with people panicking and looking up. Vicky stops her car and stands out in the street, also looking up.

Vicky Stares

Sean and Leila Watches

Sean and Lila in the CDC Feel the quake and get up to look out the window at a bright light. Martinez and all in the office come out to the balcony and are looking up at the spectacle. Even Simon, who is one of “Them” seems incredulous at what he is seeing.

Sophia Smiling

Out on the White House lawn, Christina takes her son in her arms and holds him from the wind storm and noise.

On the Lawn with Christina

 

We then see it, an ENTIRE PLANET has appeared, scorched and floating in the plasma.

Made it Through

— OK, Stanton Friedman (Nuclear Physicist) I am not, but parking a planet between Earth and the moon would mean instant devastation of Earth. Even within the Roche limit which this appears to be, the larger body would take from the smaller body…The larger body’s gravity would totally skew Earth’s Gravity! We see some nice scenes of our cities showing the new arrival and earth in space, with this new planet here.

Hi, Neighbour!

What a View! NYC

What a View! Rio

What a View! Paris

What a View! Washington DC

Over in the White House lawn, Christina and her son holding each other as Christina looks up to see the planet. We see parts of it appear to be burning, most likely from the effects of their Supernova. Her little boy asks “What is it?” Christina still looking amazed and stunned answers;

“Home!”

"Home!"

My Take…For what it is worth:

I doubt many people saw THAT coming. Laws of Physics aside, this is a Science FICTION. If it says so in the script, it will be played. But then I wonder why Sophia seemed so anxious to control the virus after a sufficient amount of humanity had been killed off by this.

Why was it always implied that they were going to ‘Move here’ from their world far off in the Sculptor Galaxy? It seemed that Sophia was always looking at ‘After” the native population was winnowed. Why the heck bother? At first, when I saw it was an actual PLANET being brought here, I thought they would plop it down outside our solar system and arrange transport on craft or with smaller portals to bring their people to this world’s surface. Of course, if another network picks up the series that could still happen, by defying the laws of conventional physics.

Then again, we are dealing with Alien Technology. Seems that they can do anything they want to and bend any Physical law that they please.

I wonder if the Others’ “Event” is like that of the theological “Rapture” that conventionalist theories speak of? In that, the chosen ones would be taken to heaven and others who did not live a certain way would be left behind to see the New World Order under one they call the “Beast”. It mainly sounds like a totalitarian, Fascist state and later, the Earth itself is destroyed in the end. Why would humans not survive the Others’ “Event”? There are many unanswered questions in this cliffhanger of a finale.

There is an interesting book by a man called Michio Kaku; “Physics of the Impossible”. it is available here and a Google search will net you just about anything on this book.

Lagrangian Point

Aside of the Roche Limit, let us look at the Lagrangian Point

— A contour plot of the effective potential of a two-body system due to gravity and momentum at one point in time. Objects revolving with the same orbital period as the larger bodies will tend to move according to the contour lines showing equipotential surfaces. The arrows in the graphic indicate the gradients of the potential around the five Lagrange points — downhill toward them (red) or away from them (blue), but at the points themselves these forces are balanced.

Lagrangian Point Elimental

The five Lagrange points (marked in green) at two objects orbiting each other (here a yellow sun and blue earth) Lagrange points are the stationary solutions of the circular restricted three-body problem. For example, given two massive bodies in circular orbits around their common center of mass, there are five positions in space where a third body, of comparatively negligible mass, could be placed which would then maintain its position relative to the two massive bodies. As seen in a rotating reference frame with the same period as the two co-orbiting bodies, the gravitational fields of two massive bodies combined with the satellite’s circular motion are in balance at the Lagrangian points, allowing the third body to be stationary with respect to the first two bodies

I, for one, am heartbroken this show could not be given a second season. Lately I am seeing a trend here where invasion shows seem to end with us feeling like “We are really screwed”. It used to be that Eartheaons always defeated the invading forces. Seems like people are changing their tune now and are either accepting the superiority of “Alien” technology or perhaps there is a need to feel ‘Humbled’ among the species.

I will be one of the first to admit a science fiction where the “Aliens” are actually friendly could be boring. After all, are we to just sit around saying the other is ‘So cool’? No. but I did like a series by Kenneth Johnson called “Alien Nation” because even though it was more like a police drama, it illustrated an ‘Alien’ race living and working side-by-side with Eartheaons. Gee, if only Eartheaons could do that with themselves, this would be a very nice place. In this writer’s opinion, that would be a TRUE “Event”!

I am not sure what will happen in the future for The Event or if any other network will pick it up. I do hope so. In the interim below is the complete “Arrival” episode courtesy of NBC. Enjoy!

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Regards,

Celtica

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