The SciFi Channel keeps green lighting pilots which have a ton of potential. Unfortunately, the follow through is usually severely lacking (see Flash Gordon). Once again, SciFi has me intrigued with a revisioning of the American Revolution. This could be a great series . . . if done correctly. Focusing on the two different families--"a loyalist family and a family that is leaning toward rebellion"--is a good start. I hope they also incorporate the view of those who really didn't support either position but were more concerned about making ends meet.* Imagine an episode or two centering on the imposition of a Stamp Act, another on quartering soldiers, yet another on a Boston Massacre like situation and the subsequent trial (and defense of the soldiers by a lawyer who actually leans toward rebellion), and so on. History provides an almost limitless number of plots from which to draw. What gives me great hope regarding this series is the fact that SciFi isn't doing this in house but is purchasing the drama from CBS Paramount Television.
*Most historians will acknowledge that 1/3 of the colonists remained loyal to Britain, 1/3 wanted rebellion, and another 1/3 were apathetic.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Wildly Inconsistent
I've been making my way through the first two seasons of Star Trek:Voyager these past few weeks. I enjoyed the series when it made its initial television run, probably moreso than most Trek fans did. True, it had its low points, but so did every series, especially in the first two seasons. Remember, even season 1 of The Next Generation was mostly awful.
I'm in the middle of season 2 of Voyager now, and I recently watched two episodes in the order on which they appeared on the disc. First was the train wreck that is Threshold, often 'honored' as the worst Trek episode of any series. And it was bad. It didn't induce the gag reflex that it appears to in a lot of other Trekkers, but it was bad.
Immediately after that, however, was the episode Meld. In this episode, a crewman named Suder, a Maquis with a history or violent behavior (or at least violent impulses), murders one of his crewmates. Under interrogation by Tuvok, Suder confesses that he did it because he didn't like the way the other crewman looked at him. Tuvok cannot comprehend this motive; it is not logical that such a minor act could not trigger such a violent response. So in an attempt to stabilize Suder's mind and to learn more about his motives, Tuvok initiates a mind meld with Suder.
And for the rest of the episode, we watch as Tuvok struggles with his own darker nature and nearly succumbs to violence himself. Meanwhile, Suder has become placid, almost stoic. In the end, Tuvok returns to himself, but it's clear that the experience has changed him, and not for the better. Real conflict, real character growth. The episode was amazing.
How is it that a single series can have two consecutive episodes that are so vastly different in quality? How could the show have been so bad one week and so brilliant the next?
I'm in the middle of season 2 of Voyager now, and I recently watched two episodes in the order on which they appeared on the disc. First was the train wreck that is Threshold, often 'honored' as the worst Trek episode of any series. And it was bad. It didn't induce the gag reflex that it appears to in a lot of other Trekkers, but it was bad.
Immediately after that, however, was the episode Meld. In this episode, a crewman named Suder, a Maquis with a history or violent behavior (or at least violent impulses), murders one of his crewmates. Under interrogation by Tuvok, Suder confesses that he did it because he didn't like the way the other crewman looked at him. Tuvok cannot comprehend this motive; it is not logical that such a minor act could not trigger such a violent response. So in an attempt to stabilize Suder's mind and to learn more about his motives, Tuvok initiates a mind meld with Suder.
And for the rest of the episode, we watch as Tuvok struggles with his own darker nature and nearly succumbs to violence himself. Meanwhile, Suder has become placid, almost stoic. In the end, Tuvok returns to himself, but it's clear that the experience has changed him, and not for the better. Real conflict, real character growth. The episode was amazing.
How is it that a single series can have two consecutive episodes that are so vastly different in quality? How could the show have been so bad one week and so brilliant the next?
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