AUGUST 12, 2007
DADDY'S LITTLE GIRL

by Amy Berg

Admit it! You guys are totally empathizing with Isabelle Tyler. Who would've thought this was even remotely possible? This time last year, "evil" Isabelle was in full effect -- murdering Nova Group members, colluding with Dennis Ryland, turning her back on everyone who cared about her, and ultimately accepting her mission as the instrument of the 4400's destruction. And now? Little by little, you guys are starting to like her. It's okay, you can admit it. You feel for her. Especially given her current plight. Her father has returned, offering her a second chance at a normal life, but in order to do that she must give up everything. Her identity. Her memories. All that her experiences (good and bad) have taught her. The person she's become will no longer exist. And you care. Some of you may even hate Richard for what he's doing to her. Am I right?

Well, I care. And I'm really proud of this episode. This one was fun to write for multiple reasons, including but not limited to: 1) the return of Richard Tyler, 2) Kevin and Tess and all of their batty goodness, and 3) getting to co-write it with my idol and mentor, Ira Steven Behr.

This episode featured the return of some fan favorites we haven't seen in a while. We've really missed Mahershalalhashbaz Ali. It's great to have him back. He has such a wonderful presence on screen and his scenes with Isabelle (all three versions of her) were incredibly compelling. In case you're wondering, the two-year-old Isabelle, the one you saw at the very end? She was played by Jordan Lasorsa-Simon. Jordan was our original baby Isabelle, whom you watched and adored all throughout season two. As for the eight-year-old Isabelle, she was played by Madison Pettis. It was a casting stroke of luck to not only find an amazing actress, but one who looks so much like a young Megalyn Echikunwoke. Both Madison and Megalyn did fantastic work in this episode. I thought both performances were stand-outs.

It was also great to finally have Kevin and Tess back. I just love Jeff Combs and Summer Glau. They're absolutely fantastic. The emotional resonance they bring to that relationship just floors me every time I see them together. That kind of chemistry is rare and precious. Luckily this won't be the last time you see them together this season. If the end of this episode had you a little teary-eyed, then you're gonna love "Tiny Machines."

Just out of curiosity, did this episode seem NTAC-lite to anyone? Because I don't know if you noticed, but there was only one scene set at NTAC. I'd have to consult our writer's assistant and resident show guru, Adam Levy, but off the top of my head I think that might be the first time that's ever happened. But please, this isn't an invitation for you guys to go back over all your DVDs and point out the inaccuracy of my statement. It's just a thought that popped into my head that seemed sort of interesting.

One of the reasons there were so few NTAC scenes was because an entire subplot was cut from the episode. We were running long and had to lose about three minutes of material, so something had to go. And to be honest, I don't miss it at all. When I watched the first cut of the episode with everything in it, the first half had way too much going on. It was too busy, jumping from plot to plot (the fault of the writers, not the editors). The first act needed to be streamlined, and getting rid of this subplot was the simplest fix. These scenes might show up on the DVD extras, but I'll give you the scoop anyway. Basically the story revolved around an NTAC sting operation to nab a high-ranking promicin dealer. They'd posted a phony listing on Craigslist and Agent Garrity went undercover as a potential "buyer" to smoke out the dealer. As it turns out, the promicin pusher was none other than Will, the homeless man we saw handing out shots in last year's season finale. My apologies to Tom McBeath, the terrific Canadian actor who portrays Will. Sorry, man, we didn't have a choice! But if anyone's curious as to what ability we'd given Will...you can read the scene in which his character gets busted HERE.

There's one final thing I want to talk about with regards to this episode. Now I don't have a lot of free time, which means I don't peruse the message boards on any regular basis, but a little birdie has told me that not everyone is in love with the idea of a Tom-Meghan romantic pairing. That's fine. I'm totally cool with that. I'm sure there are people who really liked Alana (she's not coming back this season, sorry folks). And even those who didn't like her, I'm sure some think it's too soon for Tom to consider getting involved with another woman. Or perhaps you're a Tom-Diana shipper, or an anti-shipper who thinks Tom should focus on his job and nothing else. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I'm not going to try to change your mind.

I actually spoke a lot about Tom and Meghan in the video commentary that Ira and I did for this episode -- which I'm sure was edited out in favor of snippets from my more intelligent and better-looking co-writer. Since I'm not sure if any of my ramblings survived, I'll talk a little about it here. Truth be told, I'm a big fan of this relationship. It makes perfect sense to me. These are two people in high pressure jobs that see each other every day. And this isn't the kind of job where you can just go home at night, put your feet up, and forget about work for a while. This job follows you around. It weighs on your soul. And there's only a handful of people in the world who can relate to what you're going through. People you can lean on and talk things out with. And if you don't talk things out? If you keep everything bottled up inside? This job will eat you alive. So it seems only natural to me that two people would gravitate towards one another as Tom and Meghan have. They're simply looking for comfort. Whether it be through friendship, or something more. It's a relationship that makes sense to me.

Okay, kids. That's enough for this week. If you've seen the previews for next week, you know it's going to be a killer episode. I've seen it a dozen times and I still love it. So I know you guys will, too.