4.19.2015

DIG thoughts: ep 7 (outlandish feminine energy)

source: SpoilerTV
also: i think there should be a show spin off called DON'T EFF
WITH DEBBIE. (if she doesn't die, of course.)
I am sorry DIG creators and writers and actors! I fell asleep putting my little girl to sleep on Thursday, and I missed the first 20 minutes! (horrified gasp) 

Internet, do NOT miss 20 minutes of this show or you will be completely lost. When I tuned in, not only was my brain discombobulated and confused from sleep, I was completely lost. I just sat and read tweets about it on Thursday, because I had no idea who was where what or why. And God forbid I say something stupidly flippant on Twitter to anyone. (Me? Stupidly flippant? Nooooo!) (that was sarcasm for those of you lacking that gene.)

But I've had a chance to re-watch, knowing what I now know. Now that I know what I know now, now here's what I now know is not (say that 10 times real fast):

*Emma is NOT Peter's daughter.
*Peter is NOT hallucinating stuff into reality.
*Peter's wife is NOT a ghost (but DOES know about his extramarital activities--PETER!!! Discretion, my friend.)
*Peter does NOT know Hebrew
*Peter is NOT weird about gay people

I'm telling you that because, at some point in my previous thought postings, I've made those outlandish claims or wondered those outlandishly misguided things aloud.

Never fear! I have some outlandish claims to replace them with as a result of watching #7:

*The Essene is a GOOD guy! I am 98% sure of it. The other 2% is to cover my ass in case I'm wrong so, at the end, I can go: Oh, I had suspicions all along.

[edit/update: I forgot to note that the entire REASON I think The Essene is a good guy (now) is because he saves Peter from the bad guy goons driving the cars trying to plow him down. Thank you to the person on Facebook who pointed that out to me. My brain loves the help.]

*I don't trust Emma. I am sad about this. Because I DO trust Alison Sudol. Why don't I get to also trust the character she plays? Alas, I do not. I feel she's either not telling Peter everything, or she's being suspiciously canny in some way. A good actress, if you will. (Played by a really good actress! Reality is Art is Reality.)

*But you know what? Ironically, I DO trust Lynn. Who didn't show up for her 9 PM meeting with Peter and may have possibly sent some goons in cars to run him over, but still! I trust Lynn. I know Emma told Peter someone at the agency is spilling the beans on him...which I think someone obviously is, but it's not Lynn. But I bet Peter's going to start thinking it maybe is.

So I just do trust Lynn. I'm 98% sure she's a good guy. Plus, she keeps getting beat up, and I'm sure when she took the Israel bureau assignment, that was NOT something she signed up for.

*Josh, the future High Priest. Man! THAT stinkin' little twerp. Don't trust him. He totally threw Debbie under the bus and was wholly responsible for Charlie's death. Because I think he knew, when he told Debbie he had to use the bathroom, what was going to happen. He's creepy, that kid. (My suspicion: most genetically engineered children raised to be Armageddon High Priests of Temple Mount #3 are.)

*Margrove: he's a flunky, a stooge, a greedy little pawn for the nefarious Rabbi Lev & friends. He he wants the archeological glories and treasures. I wonder if he knows they're actually trying to start a Holy War? 

Off-topic side note: my favorite scene from THIS episode was when Margrove and the Rabbi are about to put the breastplate on the pillars. Rabbi Lev tells Margrove it's just down to them now, the Rabbi and the...teeger? I couldn't make out what he called Margrove, but Margrove responded with "I've been called worse." And that was good comic timing, Richard E. Grant, and it made me smile right out loud. (Did you know? Richard [Margrove] is a wonderfully gifted comic actor. I deeply heart his POSH NOSH series; they make me LAUGH.) 

[edit/update: someone on Facebook told me Rabbi Lev calls Margrove a "digger" but his accent makes it come out "dee-gher." Collaboration! I heart it.] 

*I was surprised the breastplate was used as sort of an effigy. I really thought Josh was going to get all dressed up in priestly robes at some point and say a bunch of ancient stuff and God was going to come bursting out of the sky and all hell (and heaven) would break loose. This was more like...the breastplate was a key (did you note? the key symbol was in the ground, and part of the process). And when the fire started, it lit up the stones which showed some sort of message on the cave ceiling.

*I want to know more about Golan's boyfriend Udi. I'm not going to make an outlandish claim at this point and say he's suspect; I just think, when it comes to DIG, it should raise immediate suspicion when anyone has maps to any underground Jerusalem areas in their houses, water geologists or not. Particularly if they're sleeping with police detectives who are helping FBI detectives who nefarious Armageddon-conjuring groups want to do away with.

Other important things about DIG 7, Trust No One:

1. John Donaldson. This (I think) is Gregory Donaldson's dad. Someone on Twitter wondered if it was Gregory himself, but after watching, no--I think it's Gregory's dad, and this is why Gregory had the key to the safe deposit box with the VHS tape, which everyone on Twitter was slightly agog about Thursday night, VHS jokes all around. (The other thing I love about DIG is their sense of nostalgia--Debbie makes a call on a pay phone...with COINS. Are pay phones that take coins still around? If they are, seems like the Sonoran Desert would be a classic place to have them.)

(Off-topic nostalgic personal side story: when I was 11, my dad decided he no longer wanted his very large and expensive 1979 Kawasaki motorcycle because he never rode it. So he traded it. For one of them new fandangled pieces of magic technology wizardry, called a VCR. Years later, I look back on this and think: well, early model VCRS were pretty revolutionary and space age-y in 1985. Even though you can buy one now at a local flea market for like a dollar and that 1979 Kawasaki motorcycle, a classic at this point, is probably worth half a million dollars. C'est la vie...at least my dad felt really felt cutting edge for a bit.)

2. At any rate, John Donaldson is connected to Margrove. They were professors together with another professor named Isaac Zohar. Donaldson's big issue was that he'd found THE most important archeological thing, ever. And he went crazy toward the end of the tape, ranting about Order of Moriah and how they're everywhere--politicians, business, etc and so forth (BECAUSE THEY ARE). (No mention of half-human/half-lizard aliens, though. Sad. I'm certain you could've stuck that bit in somewhere, DIG writers.) 

My suspicion: Donaldson found the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark will explain all to Mankind. Or melt your face and eyeballs off. (I'll research that and get back to you.) (No, seriously.)

3. Here's why I don't trust Emma now--the whole dead body thing has me woefully confused. Sooo...they took pictures of her posed as dead and gave it to the police? And the police were all, Oh, ok cool! about it? And there was never an actual crime scene investigation with a real body to go with the pictures? I mean, I know police can be very corrupt and all, but there ARE standards and procedures. And then she had some crazy story about Margrove harassing her when she tried to break up with him, so being hired to trick Peter was her ticket out of Israel and that entanglement?

Emma. Please, girlfriend. Lord knows, I've had those entanglements too and they ARE tricky to get out of...that's why you (a) change your phone number, (b) get a restraining order, and (c) find a muscle-y boyfriend to be your bodyguard. You don't HAVE to take a job playing someone's dead daughter for unknown, suspect reasons. Soooo....I don't know. Emma hasn't earned back all my trust just yet. Maybe just 25%. MAYBE. Oh, she looks sweet and everything, but listen to me: still waters can run deep. (Emma's my tribe--remember?)

4. Let's talk about Peter's dead daughter. I asked Jason Isaacs, on Twitter, if he could tell us if Peter's daughter committed suicide because she'd been sexually violated in some way? (Which, can I just say--this show has made me ask some of the most bizarre questions ever to complete strangers. Jason Isaacs and I do not know each other at all and there I am, asking him questions about rape and crap. I ask you: where else, besides social media, would that happen?? Social media: destroying English and making us ask each other really weird questions.)

Anyway. Jason either didn't see my tweet and/or he ignored it. You see! This is why I don't ask Jason questions on Twitter; I just tweet him overly familiar, flippant comments. So frustrating to this girl television show researcher. (But Jason DID make my 2nd graders deliriously happy recently because he answered a friendly letter we wrote him--we posted a picture of it on Twitter, and not only did he answer both their questions and make their WHOLE day, he also earned himself 25 very impressed young fans by his thorough promptness. AND impressed/endeared himself to their teacher forever and ever for doing that for them--some of those kids still ask if we can write to Captain Hook/Mr. Darling again. I know they'll remember, forever, that when they were in 2nd grade, Captain Hook/Mr. Darling actually took time to take them serious and respond to them. Which is why I'm just going to let this one go.)

At any rate, the reason I asked him that weird question is, at the very end...did you catch it? Rabbi Lev breathes (kind of in awe): Dinah. Or Dena. Or maybe Dina. Pick your spelling, but pronounce it: DEEN-ah.

Brief background info on Dinah--she was the daughter of Leah and Jacob, sister of Joseph (he of the amazing technicolor dreamcoat). Jacob was the patriarch of the patriarchs of the 12 tribes of Israel--Jacob WAS Israel. He was the son of Isaac and Rebecca, and the grandson of Abraham and a descendant of Noah. Later, Jacob's name was changed to Israel. Remember that, because that seems important to this story: Noah begat Abraham begat Isaac begat Jacob/Israel.

Speaking of daughters of Israel: Did you catch the series of events that played out on Peter behind his back? Lynn calls Peter's wife, who lets Lynn know she knows Lynn is sleeping with her husband and then hangs up on Lynn; then in marches Ambassador Ruth Ridell, all huffy that Lynn didn't do what she told her to with Peter. Then there's Emma, who has a thing for Peter (I think) or is using her feminine wiles on him. And there's Peter's dead daughter. And Debbie out in New Mexico. Tough, awesome Debbie out in the Sonoran Desert. What I most like about the women of DIG is that they are tough. They may not look like it at first, but they are. Even the bad ones. Tough girls. Braveheart women. We need more of those, planet Earth. (Maybe not the ones planning Armageddon.)

Dinah, if you don't know, was supposedly raped by Shechem, a Canaanite prince, and in vengeance, Dinah's brothers Simeon and Levi, killed him. That's why I asked Jason if maybe Vicky had been raped/violated in some way and thus took her own life. (Another possibility was that it was an act of repentance and/or human sacrifice--a la Khalid and Emma's bartender friend.)

Because there's a reason the bad guys want Peter gone. He's been to Seminary school, and he knows semiotics (study of symbols). And something really weird is going on with his past--it's being kept a mystery why, exactly, Vicky committed suicide. There is something about Peter that is dangerous to their plans. The biggest DIG question right now, I think, is WHY ARE THEY SO EAGER FOR PETER TO BE GONE? (or maybe: What does Peter know...that he doesn't know that he knows yet?)

At any rate, I think you should know about Dinah. Maybe, oh...I don't know, because Episode #8 is called "Sisters of Dinah?" And so I'm going to go research that and tell you more about her. When I do, I'm probably also going to tell you about the city of Shechem, and the division of the ancient Kingdom of Israel, the one which King Solomon ruled over, that was divided into the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Because Dinah is connected to Shechem, and Shechem is actually a pretty important area and figures into the story of Israel quite deeply. So I think that division may become important to the story. Because I think the Essene (whose name is actually Shem--Shem, in Genesis, eldest son of Noah, from whom Abraham--and Jesus, incidentally--was descended, from whom we are given the Semitic (aka Hebrew) language spoken by the people who are Shem's descendants, aka the Jewish people...by the way) may be part of that somehow. In addition, Jehoshaphat was part of the division of the Kingdom of Israel, and that may be a clue (from episode 6). And all connected to Dinah, daughter of (Jacob) Israel.

THEN I'll tell you about the Temple Mount. And the Ark of the Covenant. I should probably also start researching the 12 Tribes of Israel, since they're written on the stones. 

You guys! This research is taking forever. If I could JUST quit my day job and research this and write about it every day, I totally would. But then in 3 weeks I'd be out of a job, and I have a mortgage and credit card bills. And should probably put my kid through college at some point. I'm already worried about what in the heck I'm going to find to occupy my time and mind with when DIG ends. Will USA Network provide therapy groups for people in withdrawal?

In conclusion: Mysteries are hard to unravel. Sometimes it's hard to know who to trust and who not to trust. Talk therapy does help. Tough girls are always awesome. I wish there weren't so many bills to pay.

Oh, AND! Here's my favorite POSH NOSH episode (it has nothing to do with DIG, but I have a feeling Professor Margrove's not much longer for this world since Rabbi Lev may no longer have a use for him, so here--watch him be an amazing, annoying git in these fun, faux cooking shows. But hurry--I really feel he's about to die!):




4 comments:

  1. I am becoming entirely convinced that Peter Connelly is central to whatever prophecy is going on. Consider the following facts:

    1) Emma Wilson says that she was paid to put the red breastplate stone in Peter's pocket. Later, Khalid somehow knows to look for the stone in his pocket. This indicates that whomever hired Emma must have been connected to Khalid.

    2) Note also that Khalid does not kill Peter despite the fact that he doesn't show any problem killing at least two other people. To me this implies that Khalid was under specific instructions on this.

    3) The fact that Rabbi Lev wants Peter dead implies that he is not the person who hired Emma to bring Peter into the picture, and that there is some other agency at work trying to get Peter into the game.

    4) The fact that an Essene comes and saves Peter implies to me that the Essene cult/organization is trying to stop Rabbi Lev.

    5) There are many forms of prayer in the series. Pastor Billingham prays in English. Avrom's prayer (in the hold of the ship) is personal it's like "hey g-d, thanks for help, sorry I didn't have more faith". When we see the Essene purifying himself, it's more of a ritual. He repeats psalm 17 over and over in rapid fire. We've seen Khalid pray twice. The first time is right before the car crash (where he escapes Peter), and the second is right after he kills the guard from the club. In both cases it's very similar to the Essene's prayer -- it's rapid fire repetition of a biblical text. It sounds to me that Khalid was actually an Essene (who had infiltrated Rabbi Lev's group?).

    6) Next, consider that whomever hired Emma knew intimate details of Peter's life. Peter must have been specifically targeted, so this is way more than just trying to bring interference to Rabbi Lev's cabal. Someone wants specifically Peter.

    7) If this other group wants Peter for some reason to stay in Israel when he is about to return to the US, then what better way to accomplish this than to have Emma show up in his apartment? I really don't trust Emma's story. For one thing, if she really escaped that room by breaking the window then why are the glass fragments **on the inside of the room**?

    ------->

    So here's my theory:

    The Essene cult/group are trying to bring about a prophecy that somehow includes Peter Connelly. They are using Rabbi Lev's cabal to bring it about and planning hijack it for their own ends. Khalid was one of their members, and Emma is still working for them.

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    1. Wow. WOW! You are a super sleuth! My hat's off to you. I think that's really interesting, what you said about Khalid--I've been wondering (in the back of my mind) about that scene since Episode #1. Why didn't he kill Peter? He so easily killed others--why not Peter?

      Re: your ultimate theory (at the end): well, I'll tell you that, in my research on the Essenes, they did believe in an Apocalypse. They believed in a fight between a group called the Sons of Light (the Essenes, basically) and the Sons of Darkness (everybody else). They were pretty peaceful--not taking life, sacrificing animals, vegan lifestyle, etc...but when it came to the final battle, they knew they'd need to fight. The Essenes were very very strict and fierce about their beliefs and way of life. So it IS possible, your theory, however, I'm not sure the Essenes would be about bringing about a prophecy...they were secret keepers and guarders, and very very patient. I'm of the opinion that Shem the Essene is trying to thwart Rabbi Lev & friends, because Rabbi Lev & friends are Sons of Darkness. If there's going to be a final battle, it'll be between Sons of Light (Shem + Peter + Debbie + whoever else makes it to Episode #10) and the Sons of Darkness (Rabbii Lev + Tad Billingham + Ruth Ridell + whoever else makes it to Episode #10).

      But that's the awesomeness of a show like this--we could argue theory and mystery and clues and secrets all day long! I wish there were a way to have a DIG on USA meetup at secret watering hole somewhere about this. I bet it would get rowdy! :-P

      Oh, and! What you said in your #7 point? YES! I didn't get to it in this blog entry, but that bloody glass raised my suspicions about Emma, too. :-)

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  2. Thanks for the compliments! This means a lot to me coming from someone who has put in so much effort and has done such great research.

    FWIW, after the last episode my theory has changed from "the Essenes are behind everything" to "some hitherto unknown group is behind everything". This is mainly because the Essene connection doesn't quite explain Dr. Donaldson Dr. and his (adopted?) son. Note also the chess piece (a bishop, I believe) that was handed to Gregory Donaldson in the opening scene? Later on, we see Emma Wilson casually handling what seems to be an identical piece (from the same set?) in Dr. Donaldson's old office. This has got to be a piece of the puzzle though I don't see quite how it fits yet, except that whomever sent that piece to Gregory is playing some game and he doesn't appear to be any of the current players....

    ----->

    My current prediction is that the finale will solve some of the mysteries and close some of the threads but leave us with a cliffhanger with only clues as to who is manipulating things and tantalizing hints about what the "true" prophecy is (including Peter and perhaps Emma).

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    Replies
    1. Oh, you're so very welcome. And thank you for leaving such astute and thoughtful comments.

      I tend to agree with you about all of that--now after watching DIG #7 (and #8). I personally think there's a connection between the Order of Moriah (the USA people--Billingham + Ridell) and the Jewish Heritage Center. Those would be the Sons of Darkness the Essene group (Sons of Light) & Peter and friends are now going to fight.

      I'm going to look into the chess piece...I'm sensing it has symbolism.

      And I hope you're right about the ending!! I love it when I'm left with questions to think about after finishing a story. It makes it feel like the characters are real people out there still, living lives, figuring it all out...just like the rest of us. :-)

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