Slightly spoilery question...

[conuly]

If Owen can't breathe, because he's dead, and they reference this all the time (can't give CPR, can't have his breath stolen) - how does he talk?

I mean, I'm more than willing to ignore all those closeups where we see him breathing, because there is a limit to how much realism I expect. And if he were simply dead, and they didn't specify the breathing thing, or if they only mentioned it once when it first happened - okay, I can live with that.

But they keep talking about "Oh, Owen can't breathe!" all the time, and it's starting to get annoying.

Comments

[adiva_calandia]

Duh, it's skience!!!: the same kind of science Mohinder Suresh uses to explain evolution.

What I love are the moments when he or someone else goes "Oh noes, no breathing," and he sniffs.

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

Not being familiar with the series at all...

Can't breathe, or doesn't breathe?

[velvetchamber.livejournal.com]

What I find more odd is that if he can control most other skeletal muscle, why can't he control his diaphragm, intercostal-, scalene- and sternocleidomastoid muscles?

[rainbow-goddess.livejournal.com]

Probably for the same reason Angel pants when he's been running, and Spike can smoke cigarettes.

[malantha.livejournal.com]

Yeahhh. Basically.

Also there was a time when Angel couldn't give Buffy CPR (in the first season, I think?) because he doesn't breathe.

[rainbow-goddess.livejournal.com]

Yes, Buffy was briefly dead, and Angel couldn't give her mouth-to-mouth, so Xander had to do it. That was how Kendra was "activated" as a Slayer.

[conuly]

Can't. He's dead.

[conuly]

Maybe he can, he just doesn't know it yet. Which would explain why he's talking - nobody explained that it has to do with breathing yet, and he's ignoring the fact, so he can do it. But if you explained it, he'd have problems.

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

Dead doesn't necessarily mean physically unable, unless he's also physically unable to move at all.

[conuly]

Well, they all seem to think he does, probably because breath and life are so symbolically linked in our thoughts.

[conuly]

I haven't caught that yet!

I loved when he hung out underwater for a while, and you could *see* the bubbles - but no, he's not breathing.

Honestly, can't that be fixed with computers nowadays? If it can't, shouldn't it have been cut?

[snale.livejournal.com]

That's exactly what I was thinking about as I was watching this episode. :)

[conuly]

And really, he should be able to breathe. It's a semi-voluntary function! All you do is move your diaphragm, right? It's not like his heartbeat, which is something few people have any control over.

Honestly.

[adiva_calandia]

Duh, it's skience!!!: the same kind of science Mohinder Suresh uses to explain evolution.

What I love are the moments when he or someone else goes "Oh noes, no breathing," and he sniffs.

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

Not being familiar with the series at all...

Can't breathe, or doesn't breathe?

[velvetchamber.livejournal.com]

What I find more odd is that if he can control most other skeletal muscle, why can't he control his diaphragm, intercostal-, scalene- and sternocleidomastoid muscles?

[rainbow-goddess.livejournal.com]

Probably for the same reason Angel pants when he's been running, and Spike can smoke cigarettes.

[malantha.livejournal.com]

Yeahhh. Basically.

Also there was a time when Angel couldn't give Buffy CPR (in the first season, I think?) because he doesn't breathe.

[rainbow-goddess.livejournal.com]

Yes, Buffy was briefly dead, and Angel couldn't give her mouth-to-mouth, so Xander had to do it. That was how Kendra was "activated" as a Slayer.

[conuly]

Can't. He's dead.

[conuly]

Maybe he can, he just doesn't know it yet. Which would explain why he's talking - nobody explained that it has to do with breathing yet, and he's ignoring the fact, so he can do it. But if you explained it, he'd have problems.

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

Dead doesn't necessarily mean physically unable, unless he's also physically unable to move at all.

[conuly]

Well, they all seem to think he does, probably because breath and life are so symbolically linked in our thoughts.

[conuly]

I haven't caught that yet!

I loved when he hung out underwater for a while, and you could *see* the bubbles - but no, he's not breathing.

Honestly, can't that be fixed with computers nowadays? If it can't, shouldn't it have been cut?

[snale.livejournal.com]

That's exactly what I was thinking about as I was watching this episode. :)

[conuly]

And really, he should be able to breathe. It's a semi-voluntary function! All you do is move your diaphragm, right? It's not like his heartbeat, which is something few people have any control over.

Honestly.