# "The 4400" Marathon to Air Sunday on USA (NO SPOILERS) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 3, 2005, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-4400-marathon-to-air-sunday-on-usa-no-spoilers/306732 "2005-06-03T15:30:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-4400-marathon-to-air-sunday-on-usa-no-spoilers/306732/1 "2005-06-03T15:30:36Z")
I have never seen an episode of this show, but I am excited for the opportunity to catch up prior to Sunday Night’s Season Premiere. The rub of the show seems to be that 4400 people who went missing over the years (alien abduction, right?) all show up at the same time. I think I recall from the promos that they are all the same age as when the left, but I don’t want to get to far into the plot, for fear of spoilers. But it seems that all of the returning abductees (did I make up a word there?)are “changed” by the process. Anyhoo, if you are looking to catch up, don’t bother paying for the DVDs. USA will run ALL of the first season (I think there was only 8 hours of content) on Sunday between 1PM (EST) and 7PM EST. Then the premiere of Season 2 is that night at 9PM EST. (In between the marathon and the season premiere is _Fast Time at Ridgemont High_. An excellent film, but not relevant to this disussion…) [USA Network’s Sunday Schedule](http://www.usanetwork.com/schedules/sched.php/sched.php?sdate=6/5/2005) Consider this part of my court mandated, community service… ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-4400-marathon-to-air-sunday-on-usa-no-spoilers/306732/2 "2005-06-03T15:53:07Z")
> [@watsonwil](#): > > (alien abduction, right?) Not necessarily. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-4400-marathon-to-air-sunday-on-usa-no-spoilers/306732/3 "2005-06-03T16:09:03Z")
Ok. So that isn’t an established point in the first episode. Thanks. I don’t want to spread bad information. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-4400-marathon-to-air-sunday-on-usa-no-spoilers/306732/4 "2005-06-03T16:13:08Z")
I thought it was enjoyable enough when I watched the mini last year (which is now retroactively the first season, I guess). Without going into details, I thought it was a good idea executed in a journeyman manner which then got cliched at the end. I’m not terribly sure if I’m going to continue now that’s it’s a regular series. The mini came out in a world with neither Battlestar Galactica or LOST, and both of those are better shows in the speculative fiction genre. Plus, I imagine that the best actor on the show, shadowy government agent Peter Coyote, isn’t going to be around anymore, because he’ll be too busy playing shadowy government agency Peter Coyote on a show I’m looking forward to much more, Tim (Firefly, Wonderfalls, Angel) Minear’s The Inside, which starts 6/8. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-4400-marathon-to-air-sunday-on-usa-no-spoilers/306732/5 "2005-06-03T16:17:00Z")
> [@watsonwil](#): > > Ok. So that isn’t an established point in the first episode. Thanks. I don’t want to spread bad information. All I’m gonna say is that the _possiblity_ of alien abduction is raised in the first episode. You’ll have to watch all five episodes to find the answer, assuming that what is revealed is the _real_ answer. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-4400-marathon-to-air-sunday-on-usa-no-spoilers/306732/6 "2005-06-03T16:26:03Z")
I am so looking forward to this. There were so many unanswered questions last summer! I’ll have to watch to remember who is who and what is what. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-4400-marathon-to-air-sunday-on-usa-no-spoilers/306732/7 "2005-06-03T21:26:58Z")
They showing the commercials. Though I am not normally a violent man, I find myself wanting the little girl to get tossed into Star Wars so Vader can Force Choke her. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-4400-marathon-to-air-sunday-on-usa-no-spoilers/306732/8 "2005-06-03T23:20:19Z")
Don’t worry. Thus far the little girl hasn’t come across as Wesley Crusher. I think she’s one of the oldest of the 4400, and it’s a bit frightening to find out your foster parents don’t want you. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2005, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-4400-marathon-to-air-sunday-on-usa-no-spoilers/306732/9 "2005-06-04T00:42:36Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Don’t worry. Thus far the little girl hasn’t come across as Wesley Crusher. Yeah, she’s more of a female Radar O’Reilly. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2005, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-4400-marathon-to-air-sunday-on-usa-no-spoilers/306732/10 "2005-06-04T02:13:43Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > Yeah, she’s more of a female Radar O’Reilly. The crux of the story is that the future stinks but limited time travel is possible. So they borrow people from the past, give them abilities to help them so that the future is better. A crap shoot. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2005, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-4400-marathon-to-air-sunday-on-usa-no-spoilers/306732/11 "2005-06-04T03:55:02Z")
> [@watsonwil](#): > > I have never seen an episode of this show, but I am excited for the opportunity to catch up prior to Sunday Night’s Season Premiere. I just read about it in the newspaper - okay, it wasn’t a newspaper, it was RedEye, which bears about as much resemblance to a newspaper as bathroom fungus does to bleu cheese - this evening and I’m intrigued. Glad to hear I can see what I missed! ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2005, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-4400-marathon-to-air-sunday-on-usa-no-spoilers/306732/12 "2005-06-06T11:38:26Z")
Okay, I watched the first hour but I had to go to bed, so I recorded the last hour to watch tonight. I got to the part where Lily’s baby wreaked havoc in the bookstore Did anyone notice anything about the names of the executive producers? Ira Steven Behr, Rene Echevarria, Robert Hewitt Wolfe? Where oh where have I heard those names before? 😉 No wonder it’s so good! ---
**Author:** ![EvilHamsterOnCrack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@EvilHamsterOnCrack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilHamsterOnCrack)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2005, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-4400-marathon-to-air-sunday-on-usa-no-spoilers/306732/13 "2005-06-06T13:20:12Z")
I like it!! Finally, I’ve found my summer appeasement for LOST! Hope we can get the rest of the lost watchers here. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![yanceylebeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yanceylebeef/32/12290_2.png) [@yanceylebeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yanceylebeef)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2005, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-4400-marathon-to-air-sunday-on-usa-no-spoilers/306732/14 "2005-06-06T15:25:23Z")
!Hijack!did anyone else notice the Smugglers and Evaporators posters in the lead agent’s son’s room? Not sure who is doing the set design on this, but I love their taste in music! End Hijack, you are now free to talk about the show without my music nerdishness. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-4400-marathon-to-air-sunday-on-usa-no-spoilers/306732/15 "2005-06-07T13:46:39Z")
I’m waiting for **NoClueBoy** or **Aesiron** to wander through…did anyone notice that the catatonic patient was Jeffrey Combs, AKA Weyoun, or Brunt, or the Andorian? Hee hee hee. Now, if he was cured, and sent back people to alter the timeline, doesn’t that mean he wasn’t cured and the timeline didn’t unfold so he couldn’t send people back to change the timeline? I hate temporal mechanics. It makes my head hurt. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-4400-marathon-to-air-sunday-on-usa-no-spoilers/306732/16 "2005-06-07T18:08:20Z")
Well, I saw the whole marathon and the new one Sunday, and I liked it. Sometimes the dialogue was bad, and sometimes it was badly derivative of the X Files. Didn’t like the WB angst either - but the premise and some of the other elements were good enough that I’ll keep watching. “Parts of the brain we can’t use…” oy! ---
**Author:** ![threeorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@threeorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threeorange)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-4400-marathon-to-air-sunday-on-usa-no-spoilers/306732/17 "2005-06-08T10:08:55Z")
I’m curious about Maia’s journal, specifically how will mommy’s bosses be “punished”. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-4400-marathon-to-air-sunday-on-usa-no-spoilers/306732/18 "2005-06-08T11:50:36Z")
Baby Isabella scares me. I mean, if she can do that and she’s only six months old, what happens when she’s 16 and her parents won’t give her the keys to the car? :eek: Does Richard have any special powers, besides being an incredibly kind and gentle man? ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-4400-marathon-to-air-sunday-on-usa-no-spoilers/306732/19 "2005-06-08T15:46:39Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Does Richard have any special powers, besides being an incredibly kind and gentle man? I’m going to guess he does, otherwise… [spoiler]…there would be little point in his abduction (except possibly to be a sperm donor for Baby Isabella). The whole premise of the show is that people are taken from their own time, “altered” somehow, and seeded back into society to help prevent whatever catastrophe befell the future folks. That indicates to me that every one of the 4400 must have had _some_ sort of change made.[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![Dob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Dob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dob)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-4400-marathon-to-air-sunday-on-usa-no-spoilers/306732/20 "2005-06-08T15:55:54Z")
My first viewing of this show was the last few marathon episodes, and the new episode. I loved it! How did I miss this last year? It’s no BSG but it is still dang good. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-4400-marathon-to-air-sunday-on-usa-no-spoilers/306732.md?page=2)