spiderwing

I love the cast, fandom, Firefly. I was a little concerned about the expy set up, and I couldn't get through the first episode because of the embarrassment humor and the overwhelming bitterness.

I might try again sometime when my own mood is a bit lighter, then again I might not (because this looks like it's set to drag me down).

First episode review (and I'm unlikely to watch more).

It's a zombie sitcom.

Really, classic 70s-80s set up, There's a secret (she's a zombie) nosy neighbors, wisecracking kid, everything. Worse, the husband likes it that she's a zombie because the sex is better, and the daughter thinks she's much more fun this way. Pretty cringeworthy stuff.

The actors are great. The first episode script is fine. Reading the reviews I surmise it got better, but even so, I'm not inclined to give it more viewing time.

I was expecting the 'Frequency' treatment - take a movie and turn it into a season of television, and I didn't see how they could possibly stretch the storyline out that far. By the end of the pilot it was obvious that there was (at least) a beta-plot adding complications. By the fourth episode it's beginning to look like the 'beta' plot is the season arc.

I was never totally sold on the series yet. The romantic leads had a tendency to be a bit gooey-eyed. The Victorians were given way too solid a grip on modern science and society. Still, it had the potential to turn into something interesting. It wasn't given enough of a chance.

I have to say, I'm so very glad that John Lithgow has work.

This is not my style of humor, but there were still parts which had me chuckling.
I made it through the first episode and much of the second before I decided not to continue with it. It's a good example of a genre I'm not fond of, so I might possibly give it another try later on.

First episode review.

I LOVE the deep time element. It's extraordinary and delightful. I'm thrilled to have a few questions about recent archaeological discoveries cleared up (as in why Egypt is now considered to be contemporary to and independent of Mesopotamia).

I found the constant repetition of the fact that Africa is the cradle of all mankind and the earliest developments in civilization a bit off putting, but then again I acknowledge that it is information which goes against what we were all taught 'back in the day', so it probably needs a bit of reinforcement.

I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series.

2nd episode review.

Short version:
mind blowing.

Long version:
There really isn't any way to do Bill Sienkiewicz visuals in live action. At least not any way which would look at all good. This show doesn't try, but every now and then there are touches, weird flashes of camera angle and lighting, which give a disquieting echo of the look of the comics. It is awkward and unnerving and perfect.

So very much of this show is awkward and unnerving. Even once it's clear that David has powers, not mental health issues, the show does an amazing job of showing how the world must look to a schizophrenic. It's definitely the atmosphere, not the story line or characters which will keep me coming back to it.

Not that those are lacking in any way. The characters are quirky. The story is interesting (if slow moving). The world is intriguing. It's definitely not the Claremont story (David's father was an astronomer, he has a sister... Professor X doesn't seem to have any connection at all), or at least the serial numbers have been filed off (Syd certainly seems to have Rogue elements to her after all). I expect massive divergence from the source material to continue.

Which is good. I look forward to this show being it's own thing. It's going to be an interesting story.

While the premise is set up to ask questions about morality and ethics, those are given a bit of a handwave. The 'newcomers' have every reason to treat the 'hosts' as they would characters in a video game. In fact, the question I was repeatedly drawn to is would someone really become addicted to a game they could only play in 'godmode'?

There is some question of confirmation bias as well. The audience anticipates that the 'hosts' have achieved/are achieving/will achieve some sort of sentience, but the staff's resistance to the idea is certainly supported by the evidence they see. There is clearly going to be a slow build up here.

Another reviewer made reference to the uncanny valley, but there is not visual clue as to who are hosts and who are newcomers. If there are 'tells' the audience hasn't been let in on them.

First episode review (will hopefully come back after a few more).

At this point it's hard to tell whether there's a complex metaphysical set up which the show is revealing to us a little bit at a time, or whether the writers just threw a handful of apocalyptic elements in the blender to see what would happen.

The cast is overwhelmingly white, which is probably appropriate for Yakima (but shouldn't there be more hispanics?). There is intermittent power and cell phone coverage, and I'm trying to figure out how (and why) the cell phones keep charged. Clearly they run (and fail) by PLOT POWER.

So, yeah, vaguely leaning away from this one, but I'll give it a few more episodes.

I really loved this show, for a lot of reasons.

It's a wonderful period piece, and is full of homages to the pop culture of the 80's. There's a very strong cast, and characters which are allowed to grow and develop. There's an amazing mix of physical effects along with the CGI. It's a labor of love and it shows.

At the same time, I found it eminently watchable, even with the 'kids in danger' element (having kids of my own has dramatically reduced my tolerance for that particular theme). It's very much a show worth watching.

This i s definitely a guilty pleasure show. It's ridiculously over the top, filled with beautiful people who are repeatedly 'forced' to do horrible things. Also worth a watch for the fashion (and I have to admit it's kind of nice to see a character wear the same outfit multiple times).