Utopia, C4&HD, 10pm, 15-22-29 Jan 5-12 Feb

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  • jammoon1jammoon1 Posts: 476
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    I love the style of the filming - don't know the technical terms for the black filtering around the edge of the shots - as it makes it look very bleak which I presume is the wanted effect. I got a little bit lost with the plot last week but last night's episode explained it all. Looking forward to next week now.:cool:
  • JonDoeJonDoe Posts: 31,598
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    I just love Arby!!! :D

    Me too, he's fast becoming one of my all time favourite TV characters.

    Brilliantly conceived even more brilliantly acted.


    Oh, and shouldn't we be calling him petr? .......or however you spell it. :o
  • JonDoeJonDoe Posts: 31,598
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    The Assistant is the decoy. Mr Rabbit is Milner's son, or Alice's dad. or Grant's dad, or Wilson's dad - it will be a massive curve-ball

    Ian's brother?

    Remember Ian said his brother was very driven and had always told Ian he was wasting his genius.
  • StylesStyles Posts: 714
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    I agree with what Mr Rabbit and his organisation are trying to achieve as over population is the elephant in the room and will lead to a far more destructive outcome unless something is done about it.
  • PoolioPoolio Posts: 78
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    Gatehouse wrote: »
    I suppose there was a bit of a hint that this was the Network plan-the whole fertility back-story of Dugdale set the scene really. Consider that, btw, when Dugdale is making his fatal decision to betray the gang that he has just "secured" his child-and then been told that mankind is to be made almost entirely infertile. That child suddenly takes on an even more precious quality in a Children of Men kinda way. Well, I hope either Dugdale gets a bullet or it turns out that Anya isn't really preggers :p

    I still think Dugdale may come good. He clearly suspected he was being watched at all times and for him to have just let Ian, Grant and Alice leave would have been hard to explain. I suspect he may hide the antidote he was given and it may just appear to 'The Network' that Ian came just for help and Dugdale calling the police may appear to them to prove his loyalty and that he's fully on board. He's already been dogged and sneaky before how he kept the finger so I wouldn't rule it out again. Maybe it's wishful thinking though as I want him to be the good guy still.

    Regarding his wife I think her involvement could go many ways. It could be her who encourages Dugdale to do something, she's supposedly infertile herself so she once she knows details (if she ever finds out the plan) then she could empathise. She knows the pain of not being able to have a child so won't want the rest of humanity to feel the same pain.

    On the other hand as others have pointed out she has rather easily decided to keep Anya's baby, it all seems a bit convenient. Was she possibly involved in drugs tests in the past and that's why she's infertile? Or could she actually be part of 'The Network' - maybe she's been instructed to follow the plan of keeping the baby?

    Finally, I am surprised it is just taken as true by Dugdale that Anya is pregnant and even if she is, the baby is Dugdale's. The Network needed someone on board and knew about Dugdale's problems with his wife so the whole thing could all have been a ploy to get him on board.
  • SurferfishSurferfish Posts: 7,659
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    Perhaps my brain wasn't in gear last night coz I'm feeling a bit confused about what's going on. :confused:

    It was revealed last night that the network have a plot to make most of humanity infertile in order to control the world population. They intend to do this using some sort of virus called "Janus" which will make most people infertile but will not kill them or cause them any other harm. Correct?

    So what is the connection with "Janus" and "Deels" disease and the "Russian flu" virus which clearly do cause people to die? Are they all related?

    What is the vaccine they've got to protect them against? Deels, Russian flu or Janus?

    Also what is in the manuscript that's so important? Is it part of the solution for Janus?
  • kendogukkendoguk Posts: 13,800
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    The vaccine is for the Russian flu and it has the Janus in it to cause sterilisation I've no idea about the deals though :0
  • drykiddrykid Posts: 1,510
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    johnF1971 wrote: »
    So what is the connection with "Janus" and "Deels" disease and the "Russian flu" virus which clearly do cause people to die? Are they all related?
    Pretty much... as I undersand it the Russian Flu virus is being deliberately spread by The Network in order to create a large demand around the world for the vaccine. And it's the vaccine that has been deliberately designed to cause sterilsation.
  • drykiddrykid Posts: 1,510
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    jammoon1 wrote: »
    I love the style of the filming - don't know the technical terms for the black filtering around the edge of the shots - as it makes it look very bleak which I presume is the wanted effect.
    Usually that effect is called vignetting; at least when it's applied to still photography. Actually I get the feeling that the look of the show has been influenced by the current lomography trend (and its Instagram online equivalent); I can sea lot of vignetting and also over-saturated colours (the latter was particularly noticeable in the external shots of the roadside cafe.) And both of these effects are associated with lomography.
  • NightFox_DancerNightFox_Dancer Posts: 14,739
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    Unrelated note but does anyone else really like the theme tune to this show? :)
  • kendogukkendoguk Posts: 13,800
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    Unrelated note but does anyone else really like the theme tune to this show? :)

    Yep and I really like all the incidental music too.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,152
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    Unrelated note but does anyone else really like the theme tune to this show? :)

    Yeah, I weirdly look forward to the end credits because of it!

    On a bit of a side note, I kept being reminded of the Mass Effect game series, in which the infertility of an alien race is a central theme, and there's a character who was brought up in a similar way to Arby...
  • SurferfishSurferfish Posts: 7,659
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    drykid wrote: »
    Pretty much... as I undersand it the Russian Flu virus is being deliberately spread by The Network in order to create a large demand around the world for the vaccine. And it's the vaccine that has been deliberately designed to cause sterilsation.

    Thanks. That makes sense. So the flu vaccine contains Janus and is the way they are planning to pass it on to people.

    What about Deels/Deals? Where does that fit in?
  • kendogukkendoguk Posts: 13,800
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    Wrex!!!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,152
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    kendoguk wrote: »
    Wrex!!!

    Shepard.
  • gomezzgomezz Posts: 44,507
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    johnF1971 wrote: »
    What about Deels/Deals? Where does that fit in?
    I think that was a forerunner to prove the method of distribution and transmission except that it had an unfortunate, unforeseen payload.
  • jammoon1jammoon1 Posts: 476
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    drykid wrote: »
    Usually that effect is called vignetting; at least when it's applied to still photography. Actually I get the feeling that the look of the show has been influenced by the current lomography trend (and its Instagram online equivalent); I can sea lot of vignetting and also over-saturated colours (the latter was particularly noticeable in the external shots of the roadside cafe.) And both of these effects are associated with lomography.

    Oh thanks for that, it's nice to know the proper terms. I do like the saturated colours, giving it a slight comic book feel which would connect it to the drawings.
  • T.K.T.K. Posts: 19,502
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    Gatehouse wrote: »
    GET IN, I totally called the Donaldson-Becky link :D

    Haha, I was just about to say that. Great prediction :D. I thought Becky was working for a third party of baddies. At least I was right about Letts not being Mr Rabbit I guess :cool:.

    Also, love the fact that a lot of posters are agreeing with the Network's plan to sterilize the human race :D. I found myself agreeing too :o.
    I have to say, I was surprised by the revelation and it now makes total sense why the Network are attempting to genetically modify the human race as they want to bring the overpopulation down to manageable numbers. It's a question that I have been asking for a while, so I'm glad it was answered. Good work by Dennis Kelly.

    Additionally, I liked Milner's little twist with her sick son. It could have come off a bit cliche, but it was well-executed by Kelly and it served to add some depth and empathy to the character.

    Dugdale - what a snivelling coward it seems.

    Wilson - Did he just stab himself to death lol? He was bleeding like hell when Becky found him. I hope the injury isn't too bad. Would be a bit silly if he dies from a wound of his own doing lol.

    All in all, pretty damn good episode. Looking forward to the final episode and learning the true identity of that annoying little Mr Rabbit :D. Should be good. I really hope "Utopia" gets a second series. Although, I'm not quite sure where the story could go after this series other than the Children of Men scenario that's being teased by the writers.
  • GatehouseGatehouse Posts: 486
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    Styles wrote: »
    I agree with what Mr Rabbit and his organisation are trying to achieve as over population is the elephant in the room and will lead to a far more destructive outcome unless something is done about it.

    It might well be the elephant in the room, but The Network's solution is akin to trying to get it out via the cat-flap: there won't be much left of that elephant by the end of the process! It is not the way to go.
  • GatehouseGatehouse Posts: 486
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    _Ash_ wrote: »
    Could there be a second series of Utopia? I saw the advert for the DVD straight after last nights episode and it clearly stated 'Series 1' on the cover.

    Despite relatively low audience share, the demographic attracted will be very attractive to advertisers:

    "Utopia breaks the mould of average TV dramas on TV by attracting younger, male and affluent viewers. A third of the audience are aged 16 to 34. Male viewers compose 52% of its audience compared with the Channel 4 average of 46%, and 44% for television in general.

    It is more appealing to young adults than Channel 4 hit Homeland and beaten in the youth stakes only by Channel 4's This Is England."

    Read the full piece here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2013/feb/09/utopia-violence-child-star-mother


    Coupled to potentially very high DVD sales, I think we're likely to see a second series. It wasn't certain before the first series was made, though, so we will almost inevitably get an "open" ending with a few questions yet to be answered fully. Like I said before, probably a bit like The Hour, series 2.
  • GatehouseGatehouse Posts: 486
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    drykid wrote: »
    Pretty much... as I undersand it the Russian Flu virus is being deliberately spread by The Network in order to create a large demand around the world for the vaccine. And it's the vaccine that has been deliberately designed to cause sterilsation.

    Although there isn't actually any Russian Flu: everyone killed at Fetlar was killed by chemical poisoning (and it's there in the tents-check out the yellow cylinder's above the bodies).

    @johnF1971. the connection between Deel's and Janus is that Deel's was a phase in the development: they wanted to discover if they could create a condition that could be passed on genetically-"and it worked". to quote Letts. It's all there in his explanation. That's why Becky has it, her dad died from it, and how Milner's son got it-her husband (his father) was working for them, so got "infected", just like Becky's dad. To Lett's, Deel's was a good thing as it's a step towards saving humanity-to Becky, it killed her dad and is going to kill her; it's evil incarnate!

    There is an experimental drug called Thoroxin that helps prevent the on-set of Deel's, but it's not guaranteed to work. This is being developed by Donaldson, who is,
    SPOILER! PLAYING EVERYBODY ELSE OFF AGAINST EACH OTHER! Now, who else did that?

    Becky is thus manipulated by the unscrupulous Donaldson-she needs those drugs.


    The "vaccine" isn't actually a vaccine: the idea is you create the fear about Russian Flu, tell everyone that you have a vaccine, people desperate for vaccine don't ask questions and say "gimme gimme gimme!". But it's not a vaccine-it contains the amino acid that when combined with the protein that they've already got into the food chain leads to infertility-then you get Janus: the two faces are combined.


    Different people want the manuscript for different reasons:

    The Network-it contains Carvel's science. The Network don't have his genius and knowledge, "we're not Carvel"-it's his work that developed Deel's and Janus initially, but he's allegedly dead. But he "wrote it into Utopia". They are going to launch Janus "regardless in 3 months" (hence their increasing urgency and unscrupulousness), but it won't be perfect-with Carvel's info from the manuscript, it would be. Sub-note:that in turn raises more questions about Carvel/Deyn: we assume that he's written the manuscript as a kind of warning (he after all names Mr Rabbit in it), but it also seems to be a recipe for the perfect Janus, meaning he's still evil?!? Is Deyn/Carvel the ultimate Jekyll and Hyde (ahem)?

    Donaldson-assuming he is who we assume he is, so he can blackmail The Network with it and get more filthy lucre. With a side-dish of revenge on The Network (who screwed him over in the past, or at least so he claims: given that he's working on deel's vaccine, that puts him very close to The Network..)

    Becky-bit of a Janus of a situation herself..either a)because she hopes it contains the cure for Deel's, or b) Because Donaldson has threatened to "throw the whole f-beeping lot" of the Thoroxin drug that she needs to combat Deel's into the lake unless she gets it to him by 12pm tomorrow. He realises she is closer to it than him-but she's not really very close to it at all, so is in big trouble!

    Jessica-because it contains "all that is left of (y)our Father", to quote Arby. And she has it now, but we don't know if she's going to read the fecking thing or just sit there cradling it like her long-lost baby...shoulda been her brother she was hugging, he's a top geezer! :rolleyes:

    Milner/other "MI5 good guys"-(who we aint seen yet..Series 2?)-because it reveals the identity of Mr Rabbit: "he goes right to the very heart of this: get him, this whole thing stops", to quote Milner earlier on. And in turn..

    The Gang: originally as fan-boys, now, again from the same Milner quote, to identify Rabbit: "get him, this whole thing stops, and you go back to your lives". Sub-point for Wilson: now he's swallowed the Letts line, he doesn't want the gang to find it, he wants The Network to find it so that their work on Janus can continue. Partly because he no longer has a life to go back to. It brings reason to his losses.


    That was all for @johnF1971, but hopefully it well help some others who are feeling confused!
  • Virgil TracyVirgil Tracy Posts: 26,805
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    I don't really understand the 'master plan' wouldn't we just end up with a world over-populated by old people by about 20 to 1 ?
  • GatehouseGatehouse Posts: 486
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    I don't really understand the 'master plan' wouldn't we just end up with a world over-populated by old people by about 20 to 1 ?

    Well the oligarch created by The Network would retain fertility as well as a huge amount of wealth. They'd be fine, with after a few generations a "world that would feel empty" for their ancestor's to re-populate.
  • GatehouseGatehouse Posts: 486
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    kendoguk wrote: »
    Yep and I really like all the incidental music too.

    There's different themes for different situations, just like Twin Peaks :)
  • Vexille1Vexille1 Posts: 990
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    jammoon1 wrote: »
    Oh thanks for that, it's nice to know the proper terms. I do like the saturated colours, giving it a slight comic book feel which would connect it to the drawings.
    Have to say I've not noticed any vignetting in Utopia; does the OP mean the masking of the aspect ratio?
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