So the Network finally got around to airing another episode of our dearly departed show... I thought maybe we should be actually discussing the show.

"Carrier" follows the story of a 4400 with the ability to unleash a killer plague, one that liquidifies the victims' insides. Now, many people have discussed on this board what to make of her ability. I have a theory about it.

I believe all the original 4400 abilities were intended to be good. Yes, even the destructive ones. Even Shawn recognized it, as he formed the NOVA group the minute he took over the 4400 Center. However, I think the inihibitor caused many of the abilities to not function as intended. For example, take the plague from Ms. Baker.... we don't know if she would have been able to control it had the government not injected everyone with inhibitor. Wouldn't a plaguelike ability or even an ability that caused mental disease,as Mr. Armand had, be useful as a defense against those who would attack them?

However, with the free distrubution of promicin by Jordan, it became less about defense of the 4400 and country (who had essentially abandoned and rejected them), but about themselves. The desperate, the greedy, the outcast, the undesirable.... these were the people who took the chance. And it led to a mixed bag with the results...we got a lady who died saving a struggling artist being conned by her manager, and we also got a boy who wanted the whole world to worship him.

Did anyone also notice that Matthew Ross said that Lilly had the gift of empathy? Was this meant as her proposed ability that never got translated onto the screen because of the whole Lauren Allen fiasco, or was it more benign, like she has the gift of the gab?

WOW. So much to talk about here. Let's start with Lilly's empathy. I really think it was a reference to her ability. Remember she was able to feel what Isabelle felt from the time she was a fetus (I don't think that was all Isabelle's doing). Empathy is a gift and it could have served the 4400 well had she not died.

As for the plague producing ability...I can't find any good in that. Truly, it's not something that should be used against enemies. I mean, when you have Tess-like abilities that can harmlessly deter an opponent, why use something so tragic? When Promise City expanded they did it without harming anyone. BUT, maybe her plague ability would have led to Kevin studying her and gaining cures to diseases...THAT would make it a good ability (once controlled).

And, the original 4400 led to a mixed bag of results. I don't think that the future could have predicted exactlly how each person would take their ability. Many of the original 4400 chose to use their abilities for less than positive aims. It's human nature. We can never really predict how someone will use power. (That's the trouble with politics! )

What I always wondered is what was the ripple effect. Does anyone know?

The ripple effect was an idea that a person's actions influenced the actions of others and could felt throughout. For example, Carl Morrissey's vigilantism and death because of it lead people he helped and others to clean up and reclaim a park that had essentially been abandoned to the drug dealers, gangsters, and prostitutes.

However, as the story got more complicated, the idea was dropped by the writers, or at least it wasn't discussed in the story anymore. Perhaps it was a sign that the ripples caused by the actions of others had become so wide and intersecting that no one could tell for sure what the effects of the 4400s were. Or, maybe, the writers hadn't dropped it, but maybe by not discussing it openly as Marco and Diana had on a few occassions (S1/2), the writers were hinting the effects were now more subtle.

Eh, but what do I know? I'm just a PromicinJunkie...

I agree with you mellio on Lily's supposed ability. Empathy IS an ability. I mean look at Pheobe in Charmed she went from having predictions to becoming an empath which served as an active ability. That would have been a great ability for Lily and there could have been many possibilties with that had there not been, as PJ said, the Lauren Allen fiasco.

I also think that all the abilities were meant to be good. Obviously some of them were destructive but we have witnessed how some potentially harmful abilities were able to be controlled and used accordingly and to serve good purposes. I do have a hard time seeing where Jean Baker's ability could have been useful.

That brings me to PJ's theory about how all original 4400 abilities may have been meant to be helpful in averting the catastrophe. Very good point! I mean maybe the people from the future knew what kind of abilities would have been best so they somehow only used the abilities that would yeild a good result, once contolled and mastered. If that were the case then maybe the extra-crispies abilities were random and would not necessarily serve any purpose for the future. Although I have always assumed that the ability distribution was random even for the people from the future.

I actually always thought the abilities were specifically dealt out by the future (at least for the original abductees). Orson Bailey's one purpose was to kill the son of his former partner (in the law firm), who turned out to be embezzling millions of dollars from the government or something like that. Basically, the way I see it, everything that happened in season one and the first part of season two was dead-on target, and the people from the future couldn't have been happier! Then everything spiraled as the writers tried to decide which plots to pursue...

As far as Lily went, I wondered that also, if empathy was just a natural gift or an ability. I know she could feel Isabelle, but Isabelle was able to communicate with Richard and Jordan also. I always figured it was just part of her personality.

And here's a burning question: when did these reruns start taking place?

Zippy in regards to your re-run question I believe they started right after the season 4 finale. Instead of replaying new sunday night episodes wednesday mornings at 3am USA started playing re-runs starting at the mini-series, I think. I remember catching the first episode that next wednseday.

Another point on the reruns: they're like only showing two a month, and you can find out which ones and the times on the old 4400 homepage.

Two a month? 3 am? *sigh* Okay, I'm off to bye the season on DVD. Except watching old episodes makes me feel a tad sad and nostolgic...

Tell me about it....

Can we please get back to discussing episodes of the 4400?

You got it, PJ. So what do you think was the purpose of Jean's ability (spore-hands)?

I believe all the original 4400 abilities were intended to be good.

Me too.

Thanks for the shout out, PJ.

And thank you for redirecting focus back to the object of our favor, The 4400.

I miss the ripple effect. I thought it was the perfect theory for the show at the time and the 4400 of the week format that they were using. I'm sorry that the pftf subplot bloomed out of control.

I have season one on dvd. I really want to get season 2.

It, if controlled, could have been a cutting edge cure for viruses and/or cancer. Imagine that for a second: someone who could save you thousands of dollars combating diseases, even irradicating them from the face of the earth, and could give you years of productivity back... what a dream. It would also free up people to use their skills to advance humanity and keep valuable work from stopping because the inventor dies from AIDS or cancer or something like that.

Yes, Shawn has the ability to heal, but he gets tired quickly if he has to heal someone with a major disorder. So, in a sense, under my hypothesis, Jean would be a relief hitter, giving Shawn's ability a longer shelf life between breaks.

Of course, thanks to the government, we may never know....

No, problems, OR!

I agree with you about the PFTF. Perhaps they could have waited to S4 to explore that. It would have been more useful then... especially if they played it against the Marked.