Helix: A Cast of Chameleons Syfy’s Helix is a show of extremes. The setting, for starters, takes place in the unforgiving landscape of the Arctic, free of both civilization and the authority of any governing body. The plot involves an irrepressible, man-made super virus and the measures that are taken to cure and control it along with those infected. Each episode churns with multiple plot twists, taking viewers on a rollercoaster of thought as both the audience and characters struggle to crack the code of what the hell is going on. Yet despite the deafening crescendo of the never-ending chaos, the true intrigue of Helix is the complexity of its characters. At face value, most of them appear as single-dimensional, similar to the predictable cast of stereotypes that comprise every Syfy original movie. …show more content…
Just as we think we understand someone’s tendencies and motives, Syfy throws its viewers a curveball. A second plague may be imminent, but the characters grappling with it are what sell the show. For the sake of a little clarification, Dr. Sarah Jordan, Dr. Alan Farragut, Dr. Julia Walker, and Dr. Doreen Boyle are all CDC professionals sent to the colossal base, Arctic Bio Systems (from now on ABS), to help with the volatile virus. Let us take a look at Sarah. At the first impression, she seems like the character whose sole purpose is looking easy on the eyes, while her eyes seem to rest a little too long on Alan. A few episodes deep however, she seamlessly steps into the role of the dedicated scientist. She is the first of her team to develop what seems at the time to be a
This summer we had an opportunity to dive into the world of bioweapons, through Richard Preston’s novel The Demon in the Freezer. His book explored the colorful world of smallpox and its use as a biological weapon. Earlier this week we were graced with this authors present for an ACES event. He discussed some of the found topics in his book such as animal testing, what small pox is, and even its eradication. One of the great things we had the chance of vocalizing were our many opinions on the gloom associated with this intriguing disease.
The majority of the novel is centered around the efforts of Mark and his friends Trina, Alec, and Lana to find the source of this disease and the cure, as they know that they are also probably infected. Along the way, they find Deedee, a young girl who was shot ...
This novel was an incredible journey of a virus from its origin and to what it became as it was passed from host to host. I learned how a virus can adapt and form different strands which can cause it to become more deadly. This was an extraordinary story and incredibly informative.
It’s the year 2028, and the world we used to know as bright and beautiful is no longer thriving with light. A disease similar to the plague broke out and caused great havoc. Although it may seem like forever ago, sickness spread only a few years ago. The Road by Cormac McCarthy is about a man and his son who fortunately survived this sickness; although they made it, the struggle to keep going is tough. Before most of the population became deceased, people went insane. They started to bomb houses, burn down businesses and towns, and destroy the environment. Anyone who had the disease was bad blood. Many saw it as the end of the world, which in many cases was true.
Mark Hall was a surgeon who was easily angered, Jeremy Stone was a well disciplined bacteriologist, Peter Leavitt was microbiologist and epidemiologist and also a little nerdy and finally Charles Burton was a pathologist and the complete opposite of Jeremy Stone. One of them was chosen to be the odd man that was pretty much the only alternative to life or death as soon as the super lab decided it had been contaminated. The lab had a nuclear bomb under it so if the lab had been contaminated with the virus it would blow up attempting to potentially destroy the virus. Hall was chosen to be the odd man. If the lab started to count down to self destruction he would have to put a key in a lock and turn it to shut it off, and only he had the key and he was the only one that could do it. He was chosen to be the odd man because he was an unmarried young man, and studies have shown that unmarried males are better at rational
With a competitive spirit, people are driven to act in ways that they would not otherwise and the results can be drastic. In the case of James D. Watson and Francis Crick, in Watson’s novel the Double Helix, this sensation of competition leads to one of the greatest discoveries in biology. But the actions of Watson, Crick, and their competitors may or may not be justified for the results that they yield; the powerful conflict of rivalry has beneficial, detrimental, and questionably moral consequences that shaped the pathway to DNA’s structure.
The medical field is a vast land of beauty, but with great beauty comes immense horror. There are many deadly viruses and diseases found in the medical field. In the novel, The Hot Zone by Richard Preston, the author discusses the many deadly viruses found in the field. The viruses are widespread due to the errors that occur when the viruses are in the presence of human beings. The effects of the errors performed by the human race include a decrease in population and wildlife.
Throughout World War Z by Max Brooks, readers can see how the apocalypse begins. Some of these mistakes can be considered individual human error, but overall can be seen as the government failing to serve its purpose. For example, early in the book, China first discovered that there was a newfound disease starting to spread. Instead of taking the responsibility for this disease, they shrugged it off and redirected other countries attentions. This caused the disease to start as a small outbreak and eventually multiplied. This failure in government can be seen as somewhat of a selfish act in order to preserve the country’s secrecy. Because they did not take the initiative to tell anyone else about the disease, people were unable to take caution and prevent themselves from contracting the plague. Similar to the book Blindness, nobody understood that the disease was amongst them at first. People were suddenly beginning to go blind with many unanswered questions. However, there was never any real truth to be revealed to the citizens in Blindness as there was in World War Z.
When the rats show up in the beginning, even after they have been around for a while, no one seems to care. In the early stages of the plague things seem to go down as usual, After sometime, the citizens of Oran start to get anxious and everyone begins to feel the sting of exile and separation. Death ensues and begins claiming victims of the plague.
plague or war can lead to people feeling a deep sense of doom and an
James Watson: He can be seen as someone who is quick to judge, somewhat condescending, yet intelligent, suave, and dedicated to his work.
Character development in The Plague plays a significant role in illustrating the way that man will endure against an incomparable being or force. In this case, the plague. The people of Oran have an understanding, though an indefinite one, of the power of the plague because Dr. Rieux publicly accepts the situation. Rieux makes it clear that he plans to “get busy with [the plague]” (89), but “[he] knew: that this wasn’t the easiest course” (89). In other words, Dr. Rieux us fully aware that he is up against something much stronger than himself. However, he is intent on combating the plague. Dr. Rieux, however, does not represent all of the people. Not all of the people are immediately awake to the fact that the plague is a force to be reckoned with. Because a majority of them do not know the true power of the plague, they have no desire to counteract the early stages of the disease. Without knowing the actual severity of the situation, “the risk of the plague seemed insignificant” (70) to them. The overall nonchalant attitude of the citi...
The Doctors’ Plague was a meaningful book to read because of the information provided, its ability to break new ground, and the credibility of its author and evidence. Overall, there were more strengths than weaknesses, and this served to cement new knowledge into the reader’s heads. I would recommend this book to anyone in the medical field, as well as for anyone who likes
During the course of the Plague common beliefs and/or concerns underwent a dramatic change. During the early years of the Plague outbreak the prevalent belief was of fear of the Plague and its uncertainty of the cause. Most people during this time were concerned that the Plague would affect their economy and their own work/business. People were also concerned of their lives and their family's well being. Then as time went on beliefs changed from this to fear to a religious superstition.
It is nearly impossible to turn on a television set during primetime programming and not be greeted with FBI agents on the hunt for a fictional serial murderer on at least one major network. These shows have some of the highest ratings and remain on air for multiple seasons, all because today’s culture is highly intrigued with these delinquents and their crimes. This realization often leaves people pondering why anybody would spend countless hours committed to such a dark and rare aspect of the world. Many would even argue that the public’s enthrallment with these particular deviants is caused by fear seeing as their methods are quite unusual and even unpredictable. Society’s fascination with serial killers stems from