_{THINGS ABOUT 'THE SENTINEL'
THAT MAKE YOU WANT TO SCREAM}

You know how it is, you've gone through it yourself so many times - You're sitting in front of the TV, enjoying another episode of your favorite show, when all of a sudden your scream echoes in the room...

"What are they doing?!"

You are not alone, we've all been there. Those moments that make us want to take a shot gun and go on a little writers killing spree (theoretically speaking of course, we don't encourage killing of innocent writers. It's not their fault that they can't write).

These are the moments that made Osnat and Elly oil their shot guns...

Every Episode Of 'The Sentinel' -

The Gun Factor - You would expect an ex-army/present detective guy to be able to hold on to his gun. But yet, Jim always manage to loose his gun in his many fights. For God's sake! Fight better, man!

Blair keeps on losing his friends, and I mean losing in a death kind of way. Do we really want to be around this guy? (now, here's a dilemma for us girls).

In some miracle way, all the bad things in cascade link to the University in one way or another (well, maybe not all things, but way too many). Since when are Universities so dangerous? I mean, I'm going to start Uni soon...have I got reasons to fear?

Pilot -

The scene - the old lumber mill where Jim had his little stake out. Jim and all the guys enter the mill after realizing that the suspect is not going to come out of there with a plea for them to arrest him. Jim claims that he smells gas and they all follow him down some stairs, past lots of lumber and all the way through the building to another part of it. Then - Jim sees the bomb, the clock going 12...11...10...You're glowed to your sit, wondering whether or not the hero will make it. And sure enough, Jim and the gang all come out just in time to make a remarkable escape and an impressive (blue screen) jump when the explosion happens. But wait a minute...something just isn't right...no, it's not Jim's cap that manages to turn from back to front and then back again. I know - it's the fact that they all managed to get out of the building (stairs and everything), and far enough from it not to be hurt by the debris (Jim at least), and all of that in 10 seconds. Wow, I guess they can run really fast.

Am I the only one who was left with the feeling that they never explained why Jim saw his reflection on the bike rider's helmet?

Our dear Blair (is it just me, or is he a little bit hyperactive in this episode?), climbing a tree just because Jim told him to. I guess that fear of high places came in latter (maybe after he realized that he just climbed a tree only because Jim told him to).

Siege -

Now, are we a sentinel, or aren't we? How come Jim didn't hear when Kincaid's men shot everyone in the communications room? Silencers or no silencers, Jim should have heard something. It's not like they fired only once.

Ladies and Gentlemen, a new sentinel is born - Cap. Simon Banks. His specialty - hearing helicopters that are about to land on the roof of the Cascade PD building, that's right boys and girls, hearing them all the way from the garage of the PD. Lucky Blair, now he has two sentinels for his studies.

Cypher -

No, I'm not going to mention the fact that Blair has a necklace with a cross on it in the church scene, everybody knows that. So there, I didn't say anything. What I am going to mention is the wired fact that when they are all sitting in Simon's office, talking about Blair's theory about the killer, the phone rings - and Jim answers it. Now, I don't really know how it goes in police stations, but is it custom for detectives to answer their captains phone? Just a thought.

TV is great - that fall that Jim and Lash took, were they knocked out? Nooo. Broken bones? Nooo. Cracked ribs? Nooo. Heck, they just got up and kept on fighting! I'm really impressed!

Night Train -

I know that news travel fast, but what ever happened to information going through the chain of command? How come Carolyn, head of forensics, knew about the leak before Simon did. He is the captain after all.

Help me out here, will you. When Jim's senses went wild on him, everything was enhanced, right? So how is it that Jim managed to enter the bathroom on the train and screw out the light bulb? I would have thought that the heat of the bulb would be enhanced to the point of burning to Jim's sensitive hands.

Imagine the next scenario - you are thrown out from a speeding train, you barely manage to catch yourself on the bottom of the train, your senses going wild on you and making it difficult for you to hold on...you are hanging by a thread between life and death. Now, would you really answer your cellphone if it rang? And try to talk? Won't it be better for you to use your hand to, oh I don't know, hang on to your life?

Rouge -

The place - Rainier University-Hargrove Hall-Anthropology lecture hall. The event - Jim Ellison giving a speech about his time in Peru (Jim giving a what? Our Jim?) All of a sudden, a charge goes off at the high windows, smoke starts to cloud the air and of course, panic starts to take over. All the students are going for the doors, but oh my, they can't open it because it's blocked from the outside. But don't you worry - Detective Jim Ellison comes to the rescue. He kicks the doors one time and, Walla, it opens. Now, aren't they lucky to have such a great hero there to save them :)

Aren't we tired of sequencing mistakes? Na, we're never tired of opportunities to see the little things that slipped away from the editor's watchful eyes. So, here we go again - In the scene of the zone out (at the army facility), in the front shot, we see that Blair's left foot is in the air before Jim's feet; but in the far shot we see that Blair's foot is behind Jim's feet. Who knew the kid's such an acrobatic.

Flight -

The scene in which Jim runs in the woods and slowly turns into a warrior is a great scene, very meaningful for Jim's character, and well done too. But the thing that bugs me about it is that, well, when did Jim have time to put the colors on his face, change his cloths and get the weapon? While he was running?

True Crime -

Do all bank robbers keep their phones on during robbery? Oh, okay, maybe they don't want to miss a call from a loved one? *snort*

Ice Man -

When Amber ran from the loft... why didn't Jim go after her? I mean, he can look for her in a crowded airport but can't go after her in a quiet neighborhood? Does his senses work only in noisy/crowded/full of smells places?

Blind Man's Bluff -

Near the end where the police come and have a shoot out, Chaz the muscle man drives out in the van with his machine gun in his left hand, like he's expecting trouble. Do all bad guys drive like that? I guess it pays to be prepared, ha?

Storm Warning -

When Jim goes to talk with the bad guys (did you really think I would remember the names?) they tell him that no help would arrive for the gang because they blew up the antenna and Jim couldn't have called for help. But how did they know that Jim and the gang didn't send the help call before the antenna went cabum? I guess it was a lucky guess.

Sweet Science -

The suspense is killing us. Will Jim and Blair manage to get out of the dead trap before the bad guys ran them with their big truck, right into the bottom of the cliff? Wait, Jim's car wouldn't start, and the doors are stuck. Oh, is this the end of our guys? No, look, Jim manages to start up the engine and they escape in the last minute, just in time to get out of their truck and see the bad guys going down the cliff with their big truck. But wait a minute, run that for me again..."Jim and Blair get out of their truck"? But I thought the doors of the truck were stuck?

Love Kills -

Jim asked Blair "You ever have one of those times where with a woman, you know, if things had turned out differently she could have been the one?" Blair replies "Not really, but it sounds special" with one of his smiles (you know the one I mean, when it's obvious that he's teasing Jim about his feelings). Well, I have a real problem with this conversation. I mean, the first thought that run in my mind was - Maya ('love and guns'). Blair's reaction to her (and to her leaving him) was more intense than any reaction to the other women that he met during the episodes (and boy, there were a lot of those). I really think that Maya was someone that he thought about as "the one that might have been". So what happened to that?

Sentinel Too / Part 1 -

I don't really know about the proceedings when arresting someone, but if the police have so much information on Alex in their data base (that they pull out after she blows her apartment), shouldn't Megan have come across something suspicious when she checked the computer about Alex (after she was arrested for the accident with the car). I guess that maybe they didn't know her last identity, and that they needed her prints to connect her to the other crimes, but shouldn't they check for her prints or something when they arrest her? Or is that done only when someone is put in lock up? Once again - I have no idea. It's just a bit suspicious if you ask me.

Sentinel Too / Part 2 -

Let me tell you my opinion about the all revival scene - I was like - that's it? I mean, they could have done something bigger in this one. I wanted it to be something like what most fans wrote in their fan fic stories, that Jim has to fight (physically or emotionally) for the life of Blair. I really like the idea that Jim has to understand that he was wrong and that he needs Blair before he can bring him back to life. But they didn't do it, instead they just did some visual effect thing. Now, it was nice, but without any understanding from Jim that he was wrong and that it was really his fault that Blair died (don't look at me like that, it was mainly his fault).

The tank going down the street...when I think about it, it's just plain stupid. I mean, the tank goes down the street and Jim just stars at it? Is it really that common in that country for a tank to go down the street in the middle of the day?

The "so hated" beach scene...now why does Alex have to wear a swimsuit/nightie? Just to sell the show? Yikes! And you know what really got me? She just had to wear the same cloth that she had on in her vision. Talk about a dream coming true.

Believe me, I don't want to think about what Blair was feeling at that moment, seeing Jim all smoochy with the woman that killed him. Good for Jim that he remembered to stop her before she shot Blair. A second longer and she would have done it.

One day, the writes of 'The Sentinel' sat down and thought, "We need a reason for Jim to go all smoochy with Alex. We know, let's say that he feels the need to protect her because she's his mate. You know, a primitive thing." And then, some junior writer asked the forbidden question, "But won't the viewers find it odd that Jim's feeling this only now? That he didn't feel that way in the previous episode, when he first met her?" All writers thought for a moment and then one of them waved his hand in dismiss and said what most of them thought, "They wouldn't notice. Just like they didn't notice all the other unreasonable things that we did on the show. And even if they do, who cares? As long as it will bring rating".

Megan finally found out about Jim being a sentinel. Well, it's about time. But did she really understood everything just by looking at the picture in the book? It doesn't look as if she had enough time to actually read enough of the book to understand what a sentinel is.

The leopard was beautiful, but Alex looked like a raccoon with her eyeliner. Now why would a woman on the run in the jungle have time to put on some eyeliner before that? And for what? To impress the wild life?

From where exactly did Alex got the power to drag Jim to the tank and pull him into it? It's not like he's a small man. I know, maybe the isolation in the chamber pools gave her super powers.

Simon giving that speech to the police officer about how he's dangling his kids - oh, what a hero! Besides, did you notice the necklace that Simon had on? Where did it come from? I know that BAY is the type to wear these kind of necklaces, but I don't think Simon is.

What a big miss of opportunity. First of all, what was that stupid dialog in the end of the episode? Who cares about all this stuff? Give us a heart to heart talk! Even a sorry, a little sorry, would have been enough for us. But no, why should they? Why should Jim apologize for letting Blair die? Why should Blair say anything about it? He just has to shot up and take it, like he always does. Can you see that I'm angry? Well I am. I mean, the all point of this episode should have been about how they caught Alex and made peace with what happened to Blair. But I guess the second thing slipped their minds, after all, they were too busy running after Alex in the woods and trying to stop Jim from jumping all over her. Jim went out of line, totally out of line, with Alex! No matter how primal his feelings were, it was a bit too much for our eyes to see. The woman killed his guide, his partner, his best friend. Come on, give us some credit, we have emotions too you know. We feel the pain of the characters (Blair's pain a little too much for our own good). Give us something to work with, a little sorry wouldn't hurt you.

Murder 101 -

What ever happened to carrying about your friend and worrying when he doesn't show up on time? Especially with Blair's history :) You know, in TV, you will always have great intuition when something is wrong. Only rarely does it fail you (and usually to serve some plot the writers have cooked up). That's why Jim didn't mind when Blair didn't show up on the time that they scheduled to meet. If I were in his shoes I'll be one paranoid cop. I'd probably never let Blair out of my sight. I think I'd put in him one of those satellite tracking devices (that they use for wildlife) so I will always know where he is, and how to track him in case he gets abducted. *rolls eyes*

I just have to say that the scene where Blair sits down to talk with Jill gave me the willies. Hello, they were sitting on the ledge of the fountain. The same fountain that he died in, an episode before. I don't know how he can handle going near that place again, let alone sit on the edge of it. <shiver>

A big "way to go" to the writers - Jim is just perfect in season 4, he could've solved the case all by himself. I don't know why they bother partnering him with anyone. Well maybe it was just an easy case...Na. I guess that when the case doesn't involve something personal for Jim (first time on the show if you ask me) he can really solve the case fast. How lucky for Blair that he found a sentinel that was also such a good detective. Imagine him hooked up with some second rate detective that has no idea what he's doing half of the time.

After they talk to the fathers, Jim listens from far to what the fathers are talking about and tells Simon that the kids where there the all time. He then asks Simon where their chopper his and tells Simon to give it the sign. Simon, in reply, calls into the radio "We have two suspects attempting to evac by helicopter". Now, I don't remember Jim telling Simon that they're going to evacuate by helicopter...and you can't really say that it's a logical assumption because they could have gone by car and Jim only meant for them to follow them by air instead of their own cars. Maybe they noticed the helicopter before? I think that I'm reaching here. I will just catalog it under "Simon Banks - The Amazing Sentinel".

4 Point Shot -

One thing that I don't understand - when Jim was knocked out by the guy on the field, he shook his head and heard some noises (sentinel things), but after that he was fine. Why didn't they do something with it? He could have had problems with his senses because of that. It might have added an angle to the episode. It's like they've put it there in front of our eyes, but didn't do anything with it.

This episode is a big miss when it comes to Daryl wanting to be a cop. Especially since on the one hand they tried to convince us that he's not a little kid any more, that he's right and Simon is wrong, but on the other hand they showed him acting like a little kid when it came to Kincade. Trauma or no trauma, I think that Daryl was old enough to handle it a lot better and in a more mature way. I really didn't like the scene on the court, when he has the flashbacks and calls for his father. I think it wasn't fair to his character.

Dead End on Blank Street -

Let's think about this for a moment - Jim is standing in front of his good friend from way back. He has his gun drawn and he sees his friend drawing his own gun out. Jim is sure that his friend will shoot him, so he shoots first. The friend dies a minute later. You're all probably wondering, so what? It was a just shooting. Yes, it was a just shooting, but did it have to be so fatal? Jim is a sentinel, he can probably shoot in accuracy of a millimeter. He was ready to shoot Alan, he probably knew that it would come to this. So did he had to shoot him in a place that will kill him? We saw in the pilot episode that Jim can shoot into the muzzle of a gun in order to stop a shooting from taking place. So come on, couldn't he have found a way to shoot Alan and stop him without killing him? What ever happened to friendship?

The Waiting Room -

When the guys made fun of Blair in the old house, Jim just stood there with a stupid helpless look on his face. Was he purposely not saying anything? He must've smelled the cigar smoke WAY before Blair did? What kind of a friend is he? Letting them make fun of Blair.

The Real Deal -

Vince: Remember the last episode of Braddock's Way?
Jim: Yeah, the cliffhanger. It was supposed to be continued next season.
Vince: There wasn't any next season. Braddock was framed, stripped of his license, and back on the bottle.

Now that's a good inside jock <lol>. I caught it right away and I think that it's just wonderful... good sense of humor from the writers and a covered jock on UPN if you ask me.

TV cliche'? You tell me - The bad gal beats Jim up at first, but then he wallops her once and down she goes. *rolls eyes*

The Sentinel by Blair Sandburg -

It seems like the writers of the show have something against Rafe and they won't put him in scenes even when they can. When they're all sitting in Simon's office, talking about the shooter (just before Blair gets the call from Sid), all the guys are there...except for Rafe. Now, couldn't they have just put him in the corner? Letting him be part of the gang? Instead, they made him a massage guy. Poor Rafe.

I don't care. I'm blaming the writers. They make Jim to be so inhuman. C'mon, man! If Blair would sacrifice all for this guy, there must be something in him worth salvaging! Talk about dissatisfaction.

When Jim talks to Bartley in Simon's office, he notices Zeller's reflection on the cup and tells Bartley to get down. Now, if you look closely you'll see that Zeller's face is showing only after Jim already has the focus with his hyper sight. So what was it that drew his attention to the cup?

It's like the producers said "Heck, it's the last episode, it's not like we're going to need the set anymore...let's blow the all place with bullets and destroy it. We won't have to fix it latter on :)

There is one thing that's still missing - an apology. Here we are at the end of everything, with no heart to heart talk, with no understanding from both sides of all that happened between them. I guess that it's too hard for Jim and not in his character...but we all know that it's a must. It's the chat that we have been waiting for ever since "Night Shift". It's the only right way to end this series. <sigh>

Elly and Osnat would just like to declare that they have lost all faith in the writers of 'The Sentinel'.