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tech guy Marshall Flinkman
posted by write2topcatSTAFFMOD on November 26, 2020 at 1:58 PM
This is the tech genius for SD6, the one who hacks into stuff, and also provides the gadgets of the sort James Bond gets from Q, I think.
In his case though he is nothing like Q. He is the socially awkward super nerd who wants desperately to be able to relate to normal people and tries way too hard to engage in small talk. He invariably sidetracks himself by clarifying what he meant to say, then going on tangent after tangent, seemingly aware he is 'doing it again' but unable to stop. He speaks in a nervous, friendly manner, and strikes me as someone looking around for someone to be his friend.
I understand why they have this character type, and the actor does a good job of playing him well. I just think the writers overdo his compulsive nervous friendly attempts at socializing way too much. It seems to me that in every meeting Marshall goes into his needy nerdy bit until his boss directs him to get back to the reason he is there, to explain the gadgets and technical aspects of the case. The writers make Marshall almost completely tone deaf how unwanted and inappropriate his needy nerdy bits are, and apparently they ask the actor to make himself as irritating as possible during these bits. Naturally the others are cordial and understanding, if not always sympathetic, and one word from the team leader and Marshall gets right to work. But even then he is seemingly unable to keep from getting distracted at times and must be directed again to get back to the point.
I blame the writers. They keep hammering these scenes, every time we see Marshall. I'm a Mensa member and the majority of genius IQ people I know are very adept socially. I met one fellow who was something of a savant and is only interested in and only talks about mathematics, and if you're not gifted enough in that area to follow his ideas and discuss them, he kind of goes back into his shell.
People like Marshall do exist. But I think the writers seem to feel the more socially awkward they make him, the greater the viewers will believe his technical gift to be. OK, that's fine if they want to do that. But, they have established that already, a bunch. Now his scenes are merely irritating as hell. I am glad I have a fast forward function.
Reply by write2topcat
on November 27, 2020 at 3:28 AM
Season 1 ep 11, Sidney's CIA handler is a guy named Michael Vaughn. Sidney found some codes written in some books his father gave her that were his mother's books. She gave them to Michael to decipher and he told her they were code names for US agents who were killed. Her dad had been investigated as a possible KGB mole long ago after a couple of US agents turned out to be moles and most agents were investigated. Now Michael jumps to the conclusion that her dad was a KGB agent and that he killed those US agents. He says those codes are "proof" that he killed them. I bet everyone reading this finds Michael's conclusion to be absurd. Michael has proof of nothing about her dad at this point.
For all he knows at this point, his wife could have been a KGB agent. And that might be why she died in an 'accident'.
Michael Vaughn shows some more idiotic thinking when he asks Hassan for the contact list. Hassan tells him his wife and son are in danger, and if Vaughn will bring them to the US and put them in protection, he will tell him everything he wants to know. Vaughn responds like an arrogant enemy saying "I will get you something to drink if you're thirsty but that's all I am giving you. This isn't a negotiation; tell me what I want to know or you won't like your cellmates in prison" or words to that effect. When you want someone to cooperate with you, and they make a very reasonable request to help save the lives of innocent people they care about, you should do your best to help those innocent people, because A, saving innocent lives is the moral and ethical thing to do, and B, that person will feel much more willing to cooperate with you if you try to help them. Vaughn should be demoted to an entry level position where he can't do so much harm.
Those are just a couple instances where Vaughn displays incompetence. It is hard to believe any agent could be as bad as Vaughn.
I am guessing this show targets a teenage or young adult audience.
UPDATE: Damn, I happened to guess it right. It was Sidney's mom who was the KGB agent who killed those CIA agents, not her dad. Let's see if they demote Vaughn for calling those books proof that her dad was the killer. lol, no of course not. But for that and for the Hassan screwup, they should.