Had last season’s allusions to the American occupation of Iraq and that “duh” moment of realization that the cylons are, in fact, no worse than the old US of A actually fallen in ’07… Battlestar Galactica would have most certainly nabbed the number one spot. The beginning of last season was one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen on TV. 2007 was a little different though. The year brought a few too many of their cringeworthy filler episodes followed by a hefty hiatus – BSG was off my radar for the majority of the TV-watching year! But looking back, 2007 was also the year of “Rapture,” of “Maelstrom, “of “Crossroads Part II” and of last month’s rockin’ “Razor!” Sure, Battlestar Galactica occasionally falls short. It’s also capable of a deeply involved allegoric intelligence the likes of which you almost never get. Seeing a fitting end to this awesome series in its final season is my number one reason for wishing this damned writers’ strike would end already.
Archive for the ‘sci fi’ Category
#2 of 2007: Battlestar Galactica
Sunday, December 30th, 2007Tin Man: Very, Very Long
Wednesday, December 5th, 2007
The yellow brick road to hell is paved with good intentions, and Tin Man had plenty of them (good intentions, money… what’s the difference?). But as it has been the unfortunate case with so many Sci Fi Miniseries before it, Tin Man didn’t quite achieve the greatness its budget, cast and exposure should have guaranteed – it just sucked. Six hours of handsomely scored, beautifully shot bullshit that I could have spent sleeping.
Let’s be clear that this is not The Wizard of Oz. In fact, the wizard dies about halfway through. For the first half hour or so, it seemed like a retelling of sorts. This tornado is about becoming a woman! Look, little people! Three companions with metaphors where organs should be! No surprises here… just bizarrely named allusions to the more familiar characters and lots of CGI. Until we learn that our would-be Dorothy’s parents (no Aunt Em or Uncle Henry in this one) are actually robots programmed to raise her. I’m not sure if she was shocked by this revelation because Zooey Deschanel’s unblinking eyes looked wild with confusion every moment she was on screen. It got even weirder from there. Something about deposed royalty, secret sisters, demonic possession and a reference to to the original story in convoluted genealogy of “the O.Z.” I’d offer a more thorough recap, but I was multitasking while I watched.
There was fun to be had though. Kathleen Robertson (The Business) is one of TV’s most unsung heroes, so it was nice to see her in a highly publicized role – and Azkadellia was a glorious one at that. I can’t help but feel that Kathleen knew how ludicrous her character was, so every time the flying monkeys flew out of her boobs, I swear I could see her winking at me. She could probably be faulted for the monotone voice, but there wasn’t a whole lot of excitement from anyone in Tin Man.
The biggest problem was that it just shouldn’t have been a miniseries. It might not have been unbearable if they’d cut out the third, fourth and fifth hours, because all of the content in that massive chunk was repetitive and forced. I was dying to let go by then, but I can’t give up on even the worst television if there’s an end in sight.
As We Expected, Piper to Return to Dr. Who
Tuesday, November 27th, 2007
Billie Piper, I may not have always bought your acting skills, but your chemistry with David Tennant was undeniable. My tears when you were sucked into a parallel earth, never to be seen from again? Totally real. Though apparently your exile was anything but. BBC announced today that Piper would be reprising the role of Rose Tyler for no less than three episodes in the upcoming fourth season of the new Dr. Who. This move doesn’t seem to be much of a surprise, as showrunner Russell T Davies intended to leave the door open for a Piper return, and Piper has done all of nothing since leaving the show.
Who seems to be taking a page out of The Book of Mormon these days, ‘cause the companion tally is now up to four. Piper joins more recent veterans Freema Agyeman and Catherine Tate (who’ll each be joining him for part or all of the season) and Christmas special guest star Kylie Minogue on the growing season four roster. There’s always the risk of too many cooks spoiling the broth, but each of these ladies has shown they have something unique to bring to the table–Tate, her distinctly British comedy, Agymeman, her charming sexual frustrations and Piper, her… highlights. The new season of Dr. Who will make it stateside sometime in 2008.
Razor: Waiting For April Officially Impossible
Thursday, November 22nd, 2007
Oh Kara Thrace and her damn, increasingly special, special destiny! It confuses us more than any of the loose-ends on Lost! More than the many dropped plot twists of Veronica Mars! More than the actual religious myths and icons her sordid tale is referencing! If you’re hoping that this Saturday’s Battlestar Galactica movie Razor is going to do anything to clear up last season’s giant “wtf?!” of a cliffhanger, you are unfortunately out of luck (and clearly very silly). But if you’re looking for two hours of surprising back story, eerie foreboding and funny-lookin’ robots, get ready to remember why you love this show so frakkin’ much. For those of you not concerned with a few mild spoilers…
Doctor Who: Don’t “Blink” and You’ll Miss it
Friday, September 14th, 2007
You may have noticed that, on occasion, I will make an irrational plea for you, gentlereaders, to watch Doctor Who. You never listen, and that’s ok… except you really should today. Before you go out on the town this evening to do god knows what, you owe it to yourself to DVR tonight’s episode.
Once a season, the filming schedule of Doctor Who becomes too rigorous for star David Tennant and whoever is co-starring with him at the time, and we get a stand-alone episode that, for the most part, doesn’t feature the regular cast. Last season this episode was disastrous and boring, but this season, it’s one of the most unique hours of television you’ll likely come across all year.
Much in the vein of Buffy’s silent episode, “Hush”, Doctor Who’s “Blink” is a stylized creepfest not unlike something you’d read in a twisted fairy tale and much more suspenseful than anything currently available in theaters. The premise: statues with the power to drain the life from those who close their eyes their presence stalk a young woman named Sally Sparrow. As the dire situation unfolds, Sally realizes that she’s being sent messages through time (and DVD Easter eggs), and it is her responsibility to make things right.
Tennant and Agyeman quickly established a great deal of chemistry in the third season, but their absence is not troubling. Sally Sparrow is played by British actress Carey Mulligan (Bleak House; Pride and Prejudice), who is developing an impressive résumé abroad, but remains painfully underexposed stateside. On a show where guest stars are frequently (and justifiably) cheesy, Mulligan’s skill carries an episode that could have gone either way.
As should be the case with episodes of this nature, previous knowledge of Doctor Who is unnecessary. All you really need to know is that this dude and this girl can time travel.
Doctor Who airs tonight at 8pm on Sci Fi
Science Fiction Explosion: Who Needs a Social Life, Really?
Friday, August 10th, 2007
Earlier this week, former Buffy scribe and all around awesome lady Jane Espenson wrote a piece for The New Republic on the odd phenomenon of science fiction failing on television while dominating cinema. She explains why she feels certain sci-fi connects with the masses when most representations of the genre can’t escape their niche, acknowledging that most people just like their metaphors easily digestible. Given the difficulty of getting a greenlight for sci-fi shows, it’s odd that we’re seeing such a large crop of them the last couple of weeks. For all you lucky shut-ins, here’s a guide to this weekend’s most geektastic offerings:
Flash Gordon (9pm, Friday, SciFi) – Flash is a 70-year-old comic book fixture that I know nothing about, but a little research tells me that he fits Espenson’s bill for the ideal Sci-Fi protagonist: a normal person suddenly thrust into extraordinary circumstances. Unfortunately for Flash, even his history and possibly accessible premise can’t earn this newest incarnation good reviews. I’ve yet to see it for myself, but those with whom I generally tend to side are not feeling this remake. Pre-judge not, lest ye be pre-judged, kids.
Jekyll (9pm, Saturday, BBC America ) – The US run of this short-lived BBC drama started airing last week on BBC America. A modern rendition of Jekyll and Hyde, it tells the story Tom Jackman (James Nesbitt) – a man who is the unknowing decedent of the real Dr Jekyll. Instead of dangerous experimentations with drugs or serums, Hyde is activated by a genetic marker that passed down the generations. The ways in which Tom interacts with his evil counterpart (through a digital recorder and shared assistant) make him almost Golem-esque. It’s rough seeing Nesbitt as a creep after playing the greatest dad ever in Millions, but the ease with which he seems to play the two characters probably couldn’t be rivaled by many. At only six episodes, tuning in for Jekyll isn’t much of a commitment, but it’s well worth it – if only to better acquaint yourself with new Bionic Woman Michelle Ryan.
Masters of Science Fiction (10pm, Saturday, ABC) – Like Showtime’s Masters of Horror before it, ABC’s new miniseries brings in some of the genre’s notable writers and directors for four Twilight Zone style installments intended to pretty much unnerve you. It hasn’t been as heavily promoted as last summer’s Nightmares and Dreamscapes on TNT, which is a shame, because it’s much more thoughtful. Last week’s premiere found Sam Waterston and Judy Davis playing psychologist and patient in a post-apocalyptic battle of wills. Waterston, who I’ve never given a second thought, did a stellar job evoking the criminal naiveté of our current Commander In Chief. Lost’s Terry O’Quinn stars in tomorrow’s episode, “The Awakening”, about a non-human casualty of the Iraq War. The biggest problem with MoSF is the utterly bizarre narration by super-brain Stephen Hawking. If anything busts up suspension of disbelief, it’s that robotic voice.
Finally, whether it be science fiction, spiritual or just crap with a vaguely supernatural twist, it should be noted that HBO’s first and (I can only imagine) final season of John From Cincinnati concludes on Sunday. Questions are promised to be answered, but I still don’t even know what to ask.
Eureka: Not The Andy Griffith Show
Wednesday, July 11th, 2007
Eureka is a poorly marketed show. It isn’t a surprise considering it airs on Sci Fi, the network more concerned with promoting its comical made-for-TV movies than its acclaimed series. It would be easy for anyone who’s seen an ad for Eureka to assume that it’s just an updated version of The Andy Griffith Show with a tongue-in-cheek supernatural twist. No offense intended, but that’s hardly an enticing pitch for me.
Despite those reservations, and Sci Fi’s general buffoonery, they did get me to tune in last night – if only to catch the first promo for Battlestar Galactica’s TV-movie/pseudo-season premiere, Razor (more on that in a moment). As for Eureka, it turns out that it’s neither overly campy nor an hour of high jinks focused on laser-guns and levitation. It’s kind of like a more whimsical version of the X-Files, except everything happens in one town and most everyone is dealing with soapy romantic pickles. Apparently last season’s finale set up this run to be much darker and emotionally charged than it had been previously. And if the little tease at the end of last night’s premiere was any indication, they’re staying on course. My interest is officially piqued.
Ok, down to business: I wasn’t expecting much from last night’s sneak peak at the forthcoming Battlestar flick (read: long, non-linear episode), and not much is what I got. With just 30 seconds worth of clips, at least 10 of which I believe were from previous episodes, Ron Moore & co reaffirm what we already know: the film will focus on the Battlestar Pegasus in the wake of the cylon attack, Admiral Cain will be back and she will still be grumpy and possibly even more of a lesbian. If that didn’t sum it up enough for you, here it is…
Doctor Who Is Too Good For You, America
Monday, July 2nd, 2007
It’s a bitch convincing people to like you. Especially in a country where your five decades of genealogy are almost completely unknown, you have the supreme disadvantage of being labeled science fiction (high camp, at that) and your humor is more alien than your subject matter. Such is the plight of Doctor Who in the US. It returns this week after two painfully low-rated runs on Sci Fi, and having already watched the latest season online (it airs in the UK months earlier), I can say that it’s the best thing on TV this summer.
My newly deepened affection and even deeper appreciation are likely an effect of, as one British writer recently put it, the increasing buffyfication of the series. And though it may do nothing to expand his American audience, creator Russell T Davies’ open Whedon-emulation has removed almost all the filler from a series that has been unfortunately inconsistent for the past two years.
So Doctor Who has managed to recreate itself yet again; the most distinguished difference this season, aside from our now firmly established familiarity with (and adoration for) David Tennant, being the introduction of Freema Agyeman as the Doctor’s new companion. Agyeman’s Martha Jones is a more intelligent and capable partner for the Doctor, but she lacks the excitement and naiveté of her predecessor, Rose Tyler. Her inevitable swoonage for the Doctor comes a little too soon, but her solid acting and verbal sparring with Tennant more than make up for it.
With the exception of a boring trip to 1930s Manhattan, there isn’t a single episode that isn’t rife with suspense and pitch-perfect wit. The final three politically charged episodes are certainly the highlight, but a stand-alone episode titled “Blink” might be the most awesomely horrifying hour of television since “Hush.” But that probably means nothing to you anyway, silly countrymen.
The third season of Doctor Who sees its US premiere on Sci Fi this Friday, June 6th, at 8:00 pm.
Nerd Alert! Nerd Alert!
Friday, March 30th, 2007
If it wasn’t sad enough to openly worship BBC’s latest incarnation of Doctor Who, I’m now suffering an emotional crisis over how to watch the rapidly approaching third season. In a mere two days the Brits will be introduced to the Doctor’s newest companion and see exactly how he’s coping with the departure of former pop-star Billie Piper. Meanwhile in America, the folks over at Sci Fi, who secured the rights to air all first-run episodes of DH, haven’t even announced when the third season will start on this side of the Atlantic. Given the unnecessarily long gap between the first two, I don’t have high hopes for a speedy turnover. And I don’t think I can wait for the end of the summer. Ergo, DILEMMA!
The internet is ripe with free, illegal television, but I’ve always avoided it out of distaste for laptop viewings. Then this past holiday not-so break, while sitting in an empty office, I decided to watch the Doctor Who Christmas special. It was new, it was just one episode and I was sure there was no chance of getting lured into watching the whole season online because the season was still over three months off. But those months are now days and pretty soon they’ll be mere hours! I want to watch, but I feel dirty! Just as I wouldn’t want my initial viewing of the next theatrical installment of Harry Potter to be on a bootleg Chinatown DVD, the thought of seeing all of the third season of Doctor Who at a dirty, pop-up filled whorehouse makes me sick. Do I really want my first glimpse of laser-wielding alien rhinoceri in motion to be painfully low-res?
The answer is a reluctant “yes.” I am a weak excuse for a man, and I would sell myself for one grainy scene of new DH. For me, jumping on board with the Doctor was something of a revelation – if only for the fact that I can no longer call myself a sci-fi elitist. Favorites like Buffy, Battlestar Galactica and even Dead Like Me are so easy to justify watching for their critical acclaim and widely acknowledged ability to explore the depths of the human predicament. There is so much more going on underneath the vampires, robots and reapers. And though I feel a twinge of guilt to say it, Doctor Who does not. Doctor Who is unabashed sci-fi camp, perfectly executed camp, but camp all the same.
Now that the genre has come to rely on sophisticated CGI (or subtlety when they lack the finances), the clunky vestigial cold-war villains of the Doctor are a comforting constant. And it is a comfort that I will not stave off for the sake of a more organic viewing experience. Whatever the means, this weekend sees the return of Doctor Who.
Bob Dylan: Singer, Songwriter, Cylon?
Monday, March 26th, 2007
(Everything that pops up after the jump is laden with spoilers, so if you haven’t seen last night’s BSG finale, consider yourself warned…)
For the last few weeks TV critics fortunate enough to obtain screeners of last night’s Battlestar Galactica season finale, “Crossroads Part II,” have been promising that the last 10 minutes of the episode would more than make up for the relatively spotty season. Those kind enough not to spoil, but too cruel to leave well enough alone, teased that the final words uttered before the credits rolled, in particular, would blow our frakking minds. And that they did. But right now, with so many new questions raised, I’m more concerned with the five words said after the show ended: “Battlestar Galactica returns in 2008.”
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