I also think “stripe” and “boot” are ranks, not names.
Well yes, because names are sacred. So other people seemed to refer to them by their rank.
The “hitch a ride” teaser is a fairly obvious plot development considering:
**In episode 6 we see the Galanthi’s ‘plasma tentacles’ (or whatever they are) go out to touch several of the soldiers in the scene in which they discover the alien, as well as in the “Stripe dies” scene;
**Also in that episode the characters discover a hoard of artifacts from the time the series is set (end of 19th century). This implies either that there was a plan for the Galanthi to bring the science-team people’s minds back to the late 1890s (to start saving the world from humans at an appropriate stage in industrialization?)–and so they needed to study, pre-trip; or that the Galanthi’s portal enabled it to bring the items back and that this ability was part of what the science team was studying. The latter would imply that the ‘minds going back’ development wasn’t a plan, but that it may have happened to the science team when they died (via torture at the hands of the anti-alien forces). And/or some of the characters we saw during the “Stripe” part of the episode–Knitter; the other soldiers; the mean beardy antagonist-guy–may have had their minds taken back to the late 1890s, too.
**Several characters have been shown to have either powers or knowledge that differ from those of the majority of the Touched. Dr. Hague, for example, may remember the alien-in-the-sky as much as Sarah/Maladie does. There’s an implication that some or all of those ‘anomalous’ characters might be carrying minds from the 22nd century (though you have to wonder if they all are in bodies that had just died, as with Molly/Amalia…?)
I would be shocked if Amalia is the only character in the show carrying a 22nd-century mind.
Well obvious to you! I’m not so quick on the uptake!
Agreed. Would be interesting if one of the others who hitched was a Freelifer (the Major, perhaps?)
I’ll be a bit annoyed if this ends up as another bootstrap paradox: the war started by characters from the future that exists because if the war …
That’s probably not gonna happen. True mentioned that the spores in her timeline didn’t cause random super-powers. Presumably she’d know if London broke out with super abilities in the 19th century in her base timeline. So her future is probably not based on the current events that are happening.
The powers have not been random.
I hope it’s not gonna happen. Done too much by now.
So which characters do you most suspect are also actually inhabited by those of the future?
It sounded like Lavinia’s voice but she seemed honestly unsure of what the Galanthi was in her conversation with Evil Mad American Scientist. And he seemed to be actually curious about how being touched works, his lack of qualms about unanesthetized vivisection to investigate as it may be.
Myrtle is in the future but no, not from there.
Hugo the pimp? Maybe. Not sure what his angle is but clearly he is an easy liar. And one of the three collectors of the touched.
Lord Massen from the Freelife side? I’d guess. He is the most pushing the awareness that this is a war, an invasion.
I mean, a dude oozed yellow metal out of his forearm. They may be based on something in the Touched person’s personality, but they are expressing in bizarre ways. 
The only way I could imagine it happening is if somehow the whole world forgets. It would be an incontrovertible fact in this universe that super-powers existed for a generation (or more if it breeds true) in the 19th century. Maybe they do forget (due to a turn or Galanthi magic), or in their future timeline it’s known that superpowers did exist in the past but people got over it.
I don’t think it’s Lord Massen. I’d guess it’s his daughter, who collapsed when spoorified. We saw her grave, but also saw that, “dog cage” that the telephone installer almost came across. I’d guess she’s gone mad and is in captivity. Maybe she was scrambled because she has a future soul but wasn’t dead like True.
I’d also guess against Lord Swann, since he’s so suave and assured, it doesn’t seem like someone in a war for humanity for 30 years would have the same sort of casual command of this society.
But if getting inhabited by a spore scrambles your noodle, maybe the elder Swann is another soul transplant?
This show in general, and episode 6 in particular, throws so much at the viewer—so many characters, unexplained relationships, and mysterious happenings—that it definitely takes more than one viewing to uptake anything.
No doubt many consider that a praiseworthy quality; I’m more likely to see it as a fault in the writing. Nonetheless, I did watch that episode twice before concluding that we are meant to be looking for 22nd-century people in 19th-century bodies (much as in the reboot of Battlestar Galactica, viewers were supposed to focus on looking for Hidden Cylons).
We didn’t manage to watch it until just now, and it’s been funny to watch the thread notifications pile up all week.
I liked this shift in locale/chronology a LOT, especially Stripe. A lot gets explained, but of course more questions get added & teased.
Who’s the other time traveler? Well, nothing to say it’s a good guy…the mad doctor seems like one possibility, canvassing the Touched looking for other stowaways (maybe he’s with the Freemasons or whatever that group is called).
I liked the touch where floaty girl helped the elevator get moving when the zombie army was attacking Amalia. I liked Amalia & Penance being galpals again at the end.
Overall I’m enjoying this quite a bit.
Binged four episodes of this so far and while I’ve mostly enjoyed it the Augie/Penance relationship is so freaking Whedony it hurts. Oh he’s a really good soul but he says hurtful things and doesn’t realize it! will the sweet girl come back to him? it was dumb in Firefly and Dollhouse and I’m sure the same exact thing happened in Buffy and Angel but I didn’t watch those. Also knowing what we do know that’s probably how Whedon sees himself.
Which in my mind makes him probably the true bad guy.
I would bet actual cash that you are exactly right about this.
It’s classic self-absorbed-person stuff: categorize your laziness and disinclination to make the effort to be decent to other people as ‘being a really good soul’----and fully expect to be handed the prize of a good-looking intelligent young lover, who appreciates you.
Well, so they wrapped up filming on season 1B just a couple of days ago, and the show showed up in the HBO 2022 sizzle reel on YouTube… so, we’re getting something this year, at least.
There are some other interesting shows coming up as well, here’s the reel…
I guess we’re not getting anything this year….
Heck I don’t remember what happened in the first portion now …
Episode six explained everything. It starts with a terrific sci-fi scenario that is wildly out of place for the show, and then pulls it all together.
If I sound like I have a clue, it’s only because I just finished watching episode six. 
Episodes 7-12 dropped today.
What what