spiderwing

It's gross, it's silly, it's disturbing. Most of all, it's just fun. Take off your thinking caps and just go along for the ride...

Any robot show which starts off with Asimov's three laws is worth checking out. This one does a nice job of avoiding the pitfalls of the genre - the human-synths were deliberately crafted to have emotions and sentience, and a possible reason for that was hinted at (though not stated).

Given that thoughtful backdrop it seems to be a fairly standard story of 'the sentient machine gone bad, hiding among us...' All the standard buttons are pressed.

It's decent, a good solid watchable show.

In some ways this harkens back to a lot of 'mystery' shows from the 60's and 70's. There is (apparently) a single science fiction element in the modern world, and it's being used to solve murders. The secret government agency(ish) and the police liaison (sort of) are added elements, but it's not meant to be taken to seriously. Don't expect a police procedural here, any more than you should expect "Fringe" level of SF (or of gore).

It's got promise - an interesting premise and a lot of good people I recognize from other geek favorite shows. Not happy about the 'chemistry' we're hit over the head with between the subject and the scientist, nor the fact that the main character has some sort of crypto-autism (or whatever her temporal aplaisia is supposed to represent). Fortunately, after the first couple of episodes, it's clear that Kristen is not intended to be a 'good psychopath'.

Some of the first episode weirdness that others have complained of are actually key plot points. (There is nothing 'random' about Kirsten being in the program, and the oddness with the roommate is all plotted in). There does seem to be a season arc developing, but it seems to be completely watchable as an episodic show as well.

Midseason review.

Within the first few minutes of the pilot I was thinking that this smelled a lot like "The Prisoner", a half hour into the show someone calls the protagonist (a Secret Service agent) "Secret Agent", so the writers were certainly acknowledging that vibe. The town is full of quirky people, enough to remind one of Twin Peaks.

The show is dark, and rapidly gets darker. Within the first half dozen episodes the premise becomes less and less ridiculous. By episode 6 there is at least acknowledgement of the problem, and a stab at an explanation. It might possibly be enough to maintain suspension of disbelief, but it's obvious that ths show is about the mood, not the thought.

It's a very silly, low budget, lost in space show. It starts out painful to watch, but it all comes into focus once you realize that Trace Beaulieu voices the robot, and Joel Hodgson is the burnt out engineer.

Yes, it's really just a show, you should all just relax. (and it got a full extra star for that resonance).

First off, and going off the pilot only, I have a quibble with Sidereel's classification. The show isn't Science Fiction, it's Theological Fantasy, a much older, if less discussed, genre. I'm not familiar enough with apocalyptic conventions to really discuss those aspects of it, but I suspect that if you're a devout and scholarly Christian there will be elements in it to appreciate and/or be offended by.

It might or might not also be a superhero story. As of the pilot there is nothing particularly heroic about any of the characters. They each have their own traumas (past and present) to deal with, but it's far too early to tell how that will influence their moral choices.

As Unknownfear has said, this one starts very slowly. It might be a slow build up to in depth character development, but I'm guessing it will soon devolve into an orgy of special effects and violence. It's hard to expect anything else from a bunch of superpowered angels on the run from the law.

By the third episode this show is pure camp. Not bad for what it is, but the cancellation order which just came down is hardly a shock.

Early in the first season it's a supernatural soap opera which is slowly edging towards full fledged horror. People come back from the dead, and they seem to bring more death with them - the question being how much is within their control, and how much is 'just happening'.

It looks to be developing slowly, which is perfect for creepy horror. Hopefully it won't devolve into just another gore fest.

Moody horror filled with pretty, oversexed people. It never quite comes together from a plot/metaphysics viewpoint, but it does create a satisfyingly morbid story arc at the end.

The cast changes almost completely in the second season, and at the beginning of that season it feels like suspicious recasting, but if you keep watching it does hang together.

A fun sitcom, with a pastiche every episode. It is somewhat marred by bitterness in later seasons, presumably due to the notorious infighting on the creative team.

It's great fun, and it does a good job of keeping some aspects of the original while bringing the setting up to date. Holmes has always been such a jerk - making him a self confessed high functioning sociopath just fits.

To be honest, it probably wouldn't be quite as good if it wasn't filled with pretty people - one of those times where 'teh sexy' definitely helps. But the acting is good enough that it works overall. Not happy with the adaptation decay in Irene, but it's probably necessary if she's going to be a returning character. In the ACD version she never returned his admiration, beat him straight out, and make him admire her for it - but she did it without losing the 'dainty femme' aspect which modern viewers (myself included) would find annoying.