Station Eleven Rewatch: Episode Four
"To the monsters, we're the monsters."
This post contains spoilers for the fourth episode of Station Eleven, but no spoilers about future episodes. You are invited to share your thoughts in the comments below, or in the chat. You’re also invited to join me for a Zoom discussion tonight (Wednesday, 12/4) from 8-10pm ET. We’ll be talking about the first five episodes of Station Eleven. There will be another Zoom on 12/18 for episodes 6-10. All paid subscribers are invited.
As Episode Four begins, we hear the sharpening of a knife. I wonder if it means that violence—or damage—is in store.
Moments I Noticed
“Well I care because if something happens to you, it’s my fault.” —Kirsten (to Alex)
***
“She killed our director?”
“Nah, she winged him. He quit. Haven’t split the troupe since.”
***
“Here’s a suspicious man I didn’t bother to tell you about from the other day.” —Sarah to Dieter, as the man from the Museum of Civilization shows back up on his bicycle.
The Prophet
“Beware the Prophet. If you see this man, cover your ears and run for your lives.”
Alex reads these words from the flyer that she picks up off the ground. While we see very little of him in this episode, The Prophet is on our minds throughout. And if Episode Two made it safe to assume that he was bad, Episode Four confirms it.
“That Post-Pans were special… the first human generation to be rid from trauma…and that the survivors were the only liars left,” Alex tells Kirsten when asked what The Prophet said to her.
K: “That’s what the Undersea thought. It’s from Station Eleven.”
A: “Maybe he read it.”
K: “No. There’s only one copy and I hid it.”
***
Kirsten: “What happened? Why did you put the mines back in?”
Gil: “Because he fucking took everything! The Prophet!”
***
Kirsten: “It’s like he knew I knew he was pretending. It was a game.”
Alex: “To me, he just felt honest. Most Pre-Pans don’t.”
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Sarah
“I saw you… onstage. Something had you, just for a second. What happened?” —Sarah (to Kirsten)
Sarah really shines in this one. She has so much depth and soul and personality. I also love her moments with Gil later in the episode.
Gil: “Well, we said we’d never do Hamlet.”
Sarah: “Well, that was back when we made decisions together, so…”
***
Gil: “You don’t like risk.”
Sarah: “We’re artists. Everything is dangerous.”
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