We pick up right where we left off last time -- Rayford alone in the church, candles on the altar, his raptured wife, Irene, approaching him. They hug but don't kiss. (They kissed once in Left Behind, but Buck and Chloe had only hugs. Are RTC's squeamish about kissing in movies?) "May you walk in the faith of the Lord," Irene says, and walks away, leaving Ray with some sort of locket. He wakes up in bed. It was all a dream. There is a picture of him and a prominently breasted Irene by the bedside, and the locket in his hand. It is 12:09 a.m. I can't tell if it's all a dream and he had the locket all along, or if Irene made a visit from Heaven and left him the locket. (I'm pretty sure RTC's don't think loved ones visit from Heaven). He overturns the picture. The next morning he takes all the pictures of Irene and Raymie down, unable to face the memories. Chloe wants to keep them. Obviously being born again has not ended all conflict in their family.
They go to a private meeting with Pastor Bruce and Buck at the church office. Pastor Bruce is starting the Tribulation Force. If Fred Clark is giving the full story, in the novel, Pastor Bruce talks vaguely about making converts, but actually proposes nothing more heroic than holding private Bible study meetings, digging a shelter for the four of them and concealing it from the congregation! In the movie, he does better, proposing the only course that makes any sense -- acknowledge that Carpathia can't be stopped, that the Biblical prophecies must play out, and evangelize their asses off, trying to save as many souls as possible. He makes clear that this means persecution often death. But he has an idea how to begin. The Bible predicts two witnesses who will convert thousands, probably in Jerusalem at the Wailing Wall. He believes the U.N. shut down the Wall to prevent them from spreading the Word. (As you may recall, the U.N.'s pretext for shutting down the Wall was that two men were burned to death there. Bruce says the Bible tells us the Witnesses will have the power to defend themselves with fire from Heaven). Buck says he will go to investigate. Chloe, all clingy, asks him to let someone else go.
We need to think about this for a moment. It is the clear premise of the story that the prophecies of the Bible are predestined and cannot be stopped. Any attempt to interfere with Carpathia is futile. But the fates of individuals are not predestined, so we should try to save as many souls for Heaven as possible. OK, I follow that far, and from its own perspective it makes sense. But if the Bible also prophecies that the Witnesses will succeed in preaching and will convert thousands, then clearly Carpathia is powerless to stop them, and we don't need Buck to go risking his neck to turn them loose. Or am I missing something.
Anyhow, Carpathia now has a plane, courtesy of the U.S. government. Bruce proposes that Ray become his pilot in order to spy on him. Ray indignantly refuses and walks out, saying it would be like driving Jack the Ripper door to door to kill people. Bruce follows, telling him that Nicolae will do the same thing regardless of who is his pilot, and who would you rather have, someone who thinks he's a god, or someone who knows the truth. Ray walks off, still saying no.
Bruce goes back in, to see Buck and Chloe standing very close, but not actually touching, doing a standard scene in which she begs him not to go and he says he will stay alive for her. Bruce looks a bit suspicious when he walks in, and they guiltily move apart. Now we do about the opposite of the scene with Bruce and Ray. Buck says his old boss want to arrange a meeting with Carpathia. (So Steve Plank is Buck's really repulsive boss who we saw in the first movie. Score one for Carpathia giving him a makeover and some decent professional manners). This time Bruce tries to discourage him, says its just too dangerous. So when Ray wants to stay away from Carpathia, Bruce encourages him to get close, and when Buck wants to get close, Bruce wants him to stay away. Is there some logic here, or is Bruce just being mindlessly contrarian?*
Let me add for the record that I like the basic framework of the dual protagonists, especially if one has privileged access to the corridors of power and the other does not. It would work very well to have Buck playing the part of Carpathia's media liaison while secretly acting as a spy, and Rayford out leading the Tribulation Force. Ray could show us the End Times at the street level and Buck could show us the privileged perspective at the top. Unfortunately, as I understand it, both will get inside access to the corridors of power and we will lose sight of the street-level view of the end of the world.
So, while the men go off on their heroic missions (or heroic refusal), Chloe tries to contribute something by working at the church's first aid station, tending to the wounded. Alas, she is not up to the job. When the fire department brings in a seriously burned fireman, in great pain and to all appearances dying, Chloe loses her nerve and runs out. Overall, she seems pretty useless so far.
The cameras pass over what is supposed to be Chicago skyscrapers, but look suspiciously like miniature models to Buck's office. A woman walks in who is identified as Ivy from the last movie, and is apparently played by the same actress, but doesn't look like her at all. Ivy from the first movie had blond, curly hair, partly put up, and a triangle on her forehead. This Ivy has long, straight, brown hair and no triangle. Look, I know this movie was made several years after the first one and the actress may have changed her hairstyle, but what about a wig? And is it too much for the makeup artists to put a triangle on her forehead? But worse than that, she doesn't really act like Ivy. She might pass as a caricature of Ivy. In the first version, she dressed casually and looked faintly hippyish. Here she is wearing a mini-skirt, fringes and demin jacket and carrying a huge backpack. She looks much more out of place in the office than in the first movie. In the first movie, she teased Buck a little and played Scully to his Mulder. Her she seems really aggressive in a way we never saw in the earlier movie. I miss the old Ivy and don't like this stranger using her name.
Anyhow, Bucks new boss is the bitch from hell, a heavyset black woman called Verna Zee. She has taken an unaccounted hostility to Buck and doesn't want him to do anything, which leaves one wondering what he is doing there in that case. Buck's response is to dismissively ignore her, but Ivy (again, much more aggressive than in her earlier incarnation) lets Verna know that she isn't in charge either; orders come from New York. When Buck tries to tell Ivy the vanishings are the work of God, she plugs her ears (literally) and refuses to hear. Once again, I am not sure how the original Ivy would have reacted, probably with Scully-ish skepticism, but not with this sort of aggressive shutting-out.
Buck and Ivy agree to work on this secretly from his apartment. It turns out he has a huge high rise we didn't know about and invites Ivy to sleep on the couch (well, the guest room, but you get the picture). She squeals in enthusiasm and walks over to him, saying "Bucky, Bucky, Bucky." Can you say romantic triangle?
Fred Clark's take is here.
___________________________________
*To be fair to Bruce, the reason he gives is that Buck saw the murders of Stonagal and Cothran and is the only person Carpathia could not brainwash into thinking it was a suicide. What if Carpathia finds out Buck is not fooled?
They go to a private meeting with Pastor Bruce and Buck at the church office. Pastor Bruce is starting the Tribulation Force. If Fred Clark is giving the full story, in the novel, Pastor Bruce talks vaguely about making converts, but actually proposes nothing more heroic than holding private Bible study meetings, digging a shelter for the four of them and concealing it from the congregation! In the movie, he does better, proposing the only course that makes any sense -- acknowledge that Carpathia can't be stopped, that the Biblical prophecies must play out, and evangelize their asses off, trying to save as many souls as possible. He makes clear that this means persecution often death. But he has an idea how to begin. The Bible predicts two witnesses who will convert thousands, probably in Jerusalem at the Wailing Wall. He believes the U.N. shut down the Wall to prevent them from spreading the Word. (As you may recall, the U.N.'s pretext for shutting down the Wall was that two men were burned to death there. Bruce says the Bible tells us the Witnesses will have the power to defend themselves with fire from Heaven). Buck says he will go to investigate. Chloe, all clingy, asks him to let someone else go.
We need to think about this for a moment. It is the clear premise of the story that the prophecies of the Bible are predestined and cannot be stopped. Any attempt to interfere with Carpathia is futile. But the fates of individuals are not predestined, so we should try to save as many souls for Heaven as possible. OK, I follow that far, and from its own perspective it makes sense. But if the Bible also prophecies that the Witnesses will succeed in preaching and will convert thousands, then clearly Carpathia is powerless to stop them, and we don't need Buck to go risking his neck to turn them loose. Or am I missing something.
Anyhow, Carpathia now has a plane, courtesy of the U.S. government. Bruce proposes that Ray become his pilot in order to spy on him. Ray indignantly refuses and walks out, saying it would be like driving Jack the Ripper door to door to kill people. Bruce follows, telling him that Nicolae will do the same thing regardless of who is his pilot, and who would you rather have, someone who thinks he's a god, or someone who knows the truth. Ray walks off, still saying no.
Bruce goes back in, to see Buck and Chloe standing very close, but not actually touching, doing a standard scene in which she begs him not to go and he says he will stay alive for her. Bruce looks a bit suspicious when he walks in, and they guiltily move apart. Now we do about the opposite of the scene with Bruce and Ray. Buck says his old boss want to arrange a meeting with Carpathia. (So Steve Plank is Buck's really repulsive boss who we saw in the first movie. Score one for Carpathia giving him a makeover and some decent professional manners). This time Bruce tries to discourage him, says its just too dangerous. So when Ray wants to stay away from Carpathia, Bruce encourages him to get close, and when Buck wants to get close, Bruce wants him to stay away. Is there some logic here, or is Bruce just being mindlessly contrarian?*
Let me add for the record that I like the basic framework of the dual protagonists, especially if one has privileged access to the corridors of power and the other does not. It would work very well to have Buck playing the part of Carpathia's media liaison while secretly acting as a spy, and Rayford out leading the Tribulation Force. Ray could show us the End Times at the street level and Buck could show us the privileged perspective at the top. Unfortunately, as I understand it, both will get inside access to the corridors of power and we will lose sight of the street-level view of the end of the world.
So, while the men go off on their heroic missions (or heroic refusal), Chloe tries to contribute something by working at the church's first aid station, tending to the wounded. Alas, she is not up to the job. When the fire department brings in a seriously burned fireman, in great pain and to all appearances dying, Chloe loses her nerve and runs out. Overall, she seems pretty useless so far.
The cameras pass over what is supposed to be Chicago skyscrapers, but look suspiciously like miniature models to Buck's office. A woman walks in who is identified as Ivy from the last movie, and is apparently played by the same actress, but doesn't look like her at all. Ivy from the first movie had blond, curly hair, partly put up, and a triangle on her forehead. This Ivy has long, straight, brown hair and no triangle. Look, I know this movie was made several years after the first one and the actress may have changed her hairstyle, but what about a wig? And is it too much for the makeup artists to put a triangle on her forehead? But worse than that, she doesn't really act like Ivy. She might pass as a caricature of Ivy. In the first version, she dressed casually and looked faintly hippyish. Here she is wearing a mini-skirt, fringes and demin jacket and carrying a huge backpack. She looks much more out of place in the office than in the first movie. In the first movie, she teased Buck a little and played Scully to his Mulder. Her she seems really aggressive in a way we never saw in the earlier movie. I miss the old Ivy and don't like this stranger using her name.
Anyhow, Bucks new boss is the bitch from hell, a heavyset black woman called Verna Zee. She has taken an unaccounted hostility to Buck and doesn't want him to do anything, which leaves one wondering what he is doing there in that case. Buck's response is to dismissively ignore her, but Ivy (again, much more aggressive than in her earlier incarnation) lets Verna know that she isn't in charge either; orders come from New York. When Buck tries to tell Ivy the vanishings are the work of God, she plugs her ears (literally) and refuses to hear. Once again, I am not sure how the original Ivy would have reacted, probably with Scully-ish skepticism, but not with this sort of aggressive shutting-out.
Buck and Ivy agree to work on this secretly from his apartment. It turns out he has a huge high rise we didn't know about and invites Ivy to sleep on the couch (well, the guest room, but you get the picture). She squeals in enthusiasm and walks over to him, saying "Bucky, Bucky, Bucky." Can you say romantic triangle?
Fred Clark's take is here.
___________________________________
*To be fair to Bruce, the reason he gives is that Buck saw the murders of Stonagal and Cothran and is the only person Carpathia could not brainwash into thinking it was a suicide. What if Carpathia finds out Buck is not fooled?
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