Star-Crossed Round Table: Our Toll Shall Strive to Mend

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Star-Crossed hasn't wasted any time getting to the dark and dirty side of the Human and Atrian story. 

On Star-Crossed season 1 episode 3, it was the 10th anniversary of Arrival Day. The Humans and Atrians both suffered losses on that day, making it a time of remembrance that could bring them together or pull them apart. Or do both.

Our Star-Crossed Round Table - including staff writers Carissa Pavlica, Leigh Raines, Jim Garner, Nick McHatton and Carla Day - is here discuss the shocking reveals and intriguing relationships. Don't hold back, we want to hear your thoughts too!

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What reveal surprised you the most?

Carissa: Gloria being an Atrian. Although once it was revealed it made perfect sense. Who else would be such a great ambassador but someone who is ultimately rooted in the cause? 

Leigh: I think Gloria just has an Atrian kid, meaning she definitely hooked up with an Atrian after Arrival Day. Interspecies hook ups, I'm diggin it! Agree with Carissa that it does make a lot of sense now why she fights so hard for the cause. 

Jim: Gloria hiding (and having) an Atrian child. I suspect that the child is only half Atrian. 

Nick: As big as the reveal is of Gloria having an Atrian child, I'm going to fall on the side of seeing cyper used for evil. A miraculous herb that can turn deadly when used for evil. It's a great metaphor for both Atrian and Human society. Both can do great things, but are also capable of extreme evil. 

Carla: I was surprised by almost everything that happened with the Trags. Drake's appointment as the new Trag leader was unexpected, as was the connection between Teri's family to the group. Teri's decision to join the Trags wasn't necessarily a surprise, but it was disappointing that she reacted that way over her feelings for Roman. Joining a terrorist group against him, isn't the way to his heart.

What do you make of all the special Atrian plantss? Which do you want to know more about?

Carissa: I'd like to know about the one that takes 10 pounds off per leaf eaten and the one that 10 years off your age for each leaf you eat. I'm going on a per leaf eaten basis here until I know how it really works. They seem to have something for everything, and I haven't seen a fat Atrian yet, so at least one of those must be available.   

Leigh: There must be so many cool ones out there that we have yet to see! I can't help but think of all the people I know who would still be around if we really had cyper and it makes me sad to think about. So on that note I would say I'd have a lot of fun with that inception/dream altering leaf and messing with people!

Jim: Wow, talk about burying the lead! This is such a great story aspect to show the different sub-cultures of the Atrians and we didn't learn that the tribes each had their own plants and traditions until Ep 3! I love this aspect of filling out their culture, I hope it continues to grow. (see what I did there)

Nick: Uh, Carissa, can you roll me some of those weight loss herbs? Right now though, there's a lot of potential just with cyper, and I would rather the show stick with that. I would prefer that the show develop its characters and plots more so than Atrian Botany

Carla: That black cyper was some scary stuff! The sex dream leaf was crazy awesome. I hope the Atrian Botany isn't over played or used as plot devices, but so far the show has done a good job of using them appropriately. If their existence gets out to the Humans, it's going to be dangerous for both sides whether it's a deadly plant or the healing cyper.

Gloria has an Atrian-marked child. Is she an Atrian? Or is her child proof that Atrians and Humans can breed together?

Carissa: I immediately thought she was an Atrian, possibly the sister of the leader of the Trags. They look like they could be related as they're both tall and statuesque. It never dawned on me that the two species couldn't breed, probably because they've done so little to make Atrians look different from humans. They even have the same races which seems odd given they come from a different ... I don't know, galaxy?

Leigh: See my answer for #1. I think she had a super-secret sexy romance after Arrival Day and that's why her kid is guarded so well. She wants to know he will be safe in this world and that's her motivation for all the Atrian and integration work she does.

Jim: Technically speaking, if the Atrians breath our atmosphere, eat same type of food, and have the same basic physiology, then biologically it could be possible. Given that the child look younger than 10, he was born here on earth, so I'm figuring he is half Atrian, maybe he's Roman's half-brother.

Nick: I'm echoing the table here: Humans and Atrians look so alike that it's not hard to imagine there's no intermingling of the species. I can't imagine that Gloria is Atrian. She would have been caught already if that were the case since they would have a full grown adult just appearing out of thin air and working their way up through society. That's pretty hard to do when there's no record of you existing for x number of years.

Carla: My first thought was she had a relationship with an Atrian. I didn't think about Roman's father, but given her work on the integration program that would make sense. Plus, Roman and Sophia would be the perfect Atrians to welcome a Human-Atrian sibling into their family.

Is there a relationship you are rooting for?

Carissa:  Taylor and Drake. Even Drake being nominated as the new leader of the Trags (although Teri was still referring to her mom as the leader after Drake was announced, so that all confused me) didn't deter me from wanting to see them together. Plus, Drake couldn't kill, so he won't go all whacko anyway. He's a gray character.

Leigh: Props to Carissa, Taylor and Drake would be funny! I'm still hoping that Grayson turns out not to be a total bad guy. He and Emery are cute. Honestly Matt Lanter in any sex scene is totally welcome. Let's find Julia a man too. I'm all about the love people! 

Jim: I'm with Carissa, Taylor and Drake seem to be a good under dog couple to root for! 

Nick: I'm really interested in seeing Drake develop as someone more than a brute. He hides behind his brawny exterior, but deep down there's a kind person in there. He's not a killer, and I think he's just looking for a way to secure his people the same privileges on Earth than humans do. He is just unsure of how to go about doing that, and now he's winding up in cahoots with the Trags. I think a little fun with Taylor is exactly what both of them need to break down their preconceived notions.

Carla: I enjoy Emery and Grayson together, but that's just not going to go anywhere with Roman around. I'd like to see how Grayson and Julia get along. They could be a good match. And her connection to cyper and his family connection with the Red Hawks would provide a complication.

Would you fear the Trags or the Red Hawks more as their targeted enemy?

Carissa: The Red Hawks only because Humans have an entire planet of people to back them and Atrians have only a small faction of representatives they've planted since they arrived to do their work. Unless they breed really fast. We really don't know enough about them to know if how much they could accomplish in the time frame.

Leigh: I would fear the Trags because they have weapons and ways to fight that we've never seen before. A tiny plant that could immobilize your whole bad and send pain signals, scary! The Red Hawks seem like just another ignorant group we already have so many of in America today. 

Jim: Trags, they killed one of their own because they believed he was sharing information with Roman's uncle. I don't see the Red Hawks doing that. 

Nick: The Trags. They have a little cube of death, and who knows how big of a batch of black cyper they could cook up with it. It has the potential of a plague in a box.

Carla: The Trags. They are angry and have been locked up for 10 years. They have nothing to lose and are unexpected. Plus, since they can remove their markings and integrate secretly within the human population, anyone could be a threat. The Red Hawks' actions are more limited with the Atrians in the Sector.

Anything else that has you particularly intrigued?

Carissa: It will be interesting to see how twisted they try to make Grayson before they make a decision about what kind of character he is. Whether he's truly following his parents orders and the guy in the car would have reported back, so that was part of his "act" remains to be be seen. I've always had a soft spot for Gray Damon, so it's hard for me to turn my back on him.

Leigh: Agreeing here with Carissa about Grayson. I don't want them to do with most shows do with Grey Damon and make him the bad guy. (Actually he was a hippie football player in Friday Night Lights) I want to see him stand for something good. 

Jim: I'm curious what the side-effects of the second cure is going to be for Julia. Seems like the bright blue glow from the car wouldn't be without some sort of lingering effect.

Nick: Teri and Sophia. I'm curious to see how Teri, a gentle person who comes from a violent sect of the Atrians, is going to deal with her Trag choice since her choice is rooted in jealousy over Roman and Emery. Sophia, on the other hand, is so welcoming and wants to share her culture with humans. She's looking for friends and new people to interact with, and I wonder if that will only intensify or fizzle out as time goes on.

Carla: Like Jim, I'm intrigued by Julia's "cure" and the ramifications of using it. The blue light was awesome crazy, but scary too. Honestly, there's nothing about Star-Crossed that I'm not extremely interested in finding out more about. In three episodes, this future world has been shown to be quite complex with complicated relationships and issues to be explored.

Carla Day is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter and on Google+.

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Star-Crossed Season 1 Episode 3 Quotes

I lost half of my tribe. Those who survived were gunned down by your bitch guards. But you don't see me wrapping myself in ribbon like a birthday present now do you?

Drake

You've been in school a week and you already have boy problems? School is phenomenal.

Julia [to Emery]