'nostos' is a latin word that roughly translates to 'the journey home', and that's exactly where Derek and the band find themselves in episode IV.
the journey home never goes quite as planned. some of the greatest stories ever told are about the journey home (i'm looking at you, the odyssey and star trek IV). there are certain moments in the show that i look back on and say "did i know this when i wrote that?" - i think that moment where we try to associate ourselves with a familiar anchor in time or space is where we really start to notice how far we've come. realizing that home, and that anchor no longer exists is going to be the pivotal point of no-return for the band.
on a side note, i'd like to start properly referring to the protagonists of the show as 'the band' or 'derek and the band'. buffy had the scoobies, derek has his band. i hope the affectionate nickname catches on.
i'm going to try and involve you all in my writing process for this particular episode. i try and approach every episode with a question and answer session. there are naturally looming questions from the previous episode and i try to tear apart the script to find what needs to be resolved. what follows is what i've worked up for episode iv so far.
Q: where did we last leave off?
A: following a semi-successful rescue of Nathan Davis, Derek's band has found itself the target of unwarranted police investigation. Davis makes contact with officer Dana Steele and asks her to help Rhett whenever she can with the investigation. Derek, Eddie and Riley are all wanted in murders they didn't commit and Steele catches on that at least Eddie and Riley are innocent. following Davis' death, she makes the decision to warn Rhett of the danger of returning to Toronto and helps him stay one step-ahead of the investigation.
Q: what needs to be addressed this episode?
A: the most important event in this episode is the kidnapping of Eveleigh Dawn by Lidless/Parsons. Eddie's been leafing through Davis' files and comes across information that suggests Evee is the fifth, final and most powerful superhuman. while Eddie scours files which were meant for an intelligence much higher than his own, Steele reluctantly takes Derek into the city to extract and protect Evee from Danielle Parsons.
Q: what is Riley doing this episode?
A: Riley is hit hard by the news that she's now a wanted fugitive. i'd like to think she was initally carefree, but the toll of her actions is now dawning on her. retreating from the centre of attention, Riley lets Derek and Steele run off on their adventure while she tries to put her life back together. upon contacting her employer and landlord she finds out she's been both fired and evicted as a result of the murder charges. by episode's end she realizes she walked away from that life and reaffirms her commitment to the new one with Derek.
Q: how does the episode end?
A: in broad daylight, Evee is kidnapped from Derek's protection by Lidless' associates. severely beaten, Derek watches as Evee's kidnappers speed away until Riley shows up unexpected and the chase commences.
Q: what is Eddie doing this episode?
A: As a philosopher, Eddie finds himself deeply immersed in the wealth of knowledge Davis left behind. among his findings are; chemical compounds that shouldn't exist; advanced research on pathology; alchemical formulae; and most importantly files on five superhumans currently residing in Canada. these files are to form the foundation that everything in the series will be based on. hidden within the tomes is information that will eventually assist Derek in his vendetta against Lidless. not only that, but these files are the only lasting legacy to Davis' intelligence - and Eddie will grow from that legacy.
Q: what is Cain doing this episode?
A: Derek delegates Cain to sorting through all the equipment found at Davis' lockup. i think by this point Cain's sorted through his personal shit and has more or less resigned to helping Derek for the moment. Cain may not be at Derek's side by series' end, but for now, he's a fully fledged member of the band.
Q: the Timeline of the Episode:
A: Picking up two days after the last, we find Cain, Derek, Eddie and Riley eating breakfast in a small dinner when Dana Steele walks in. Awkward conversations and mistrust aside, Derek and Steele immediately establish a repoire after he agrees to accompany her to Davis' grave. At Davis' grave, she decides she will honor her dead partner's wishes and help Rhett stay a step ahead of the police.
Q: how do they get Evee out?
A: first and foremost Eveleigh is most likely unaware that she harbors anything extraordinary about her at all. her power has been manifesting in ways that could be explained by any number of other phemoneon. though this is the reason that Eveleigh isn't initally inclined to do superhuman things, it's also the reason she's avoided Parsons' attention in the past. ultimately getting into Toronto and making contact with Eveleigh is the episode's plot and needs some work.
i hope that gives a satisfactory preview to the next episode without spoiling the whole bit.
i make constant notes on the details of the episode and i try to keep everything i write down. there's actually a folder with soundtrack notes that date all the way back to april of 2008. though i can never shake that feeling that i'm on the right path and this is my passion - it's great to look back on all the hard work and thoroughness that actually went into it.
though the scripts are the product of all that hard work - that file folder represents the shaping of a story. i'll be sure to hang on to it for as long as possible.
hope you're all having a great week everybody!
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