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San Francisco, 10:47 AM
Mon Nov 9
12 posts in the last 24 hours
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11/04/09
Is anyone from io9 going to do recaps? #v
11/04/09
Oh, and will there be lizard/human sex. THAT'S the important question! #v
11/04/09
I think there was a huge mistake made in not presenting this as a two-hour premiere. The characters were anemic and uninvolving, and there was so much exposition packed into a single 45m episode (though less than Dr Who manages) that they totally skipped over any sense of awe or tension.
In the original, most people were originally quite thrilled, and it was only gradually that the unease set in. And yet they told the story (leaving room for a sequel) in just four hours.
In this one, it's like "oh hai, alienz!" and then "three weeks later, most people love 'em but some people hate 'em." We don't even see the healing centers or any of that. Way to develop a world, guys.
I couldn't believe that the big dramatic moment when the V shuttle landed at the UN was shown ON TV as other characters talked over it. Good grief.
And then at the end, somebody says "oh, they are not friendly, they are evil, plus they are lizards, plus they've been here for years starting wars & stuff!" Give me a break.
Not to mention the characters are TOTALLY under-developed.
Plus, there was NO mouse-eating or face-ripping. WTF is that about?? #v
11/04/09
11/04/09
I really like you, but I think we should not start rushing things in our relationship. Constantly saying "we" when you should say "I" is really sweet of you, but I don't think our relationship has reached that far yet. However, what about me calling you "honey" as a starter?
Now, Honey, let me tell you what I think about your arguments:
"We sort of owe it to ourselves to support any show about alien invaders"
No, I don't. I owe it to myself to support good shows or else the networks might think I and likeminded people will like everything they barf onto the screen.
"Part of the answer is that we are science-fiction fans, and having our hearts broken is part of the deal. But you also have to keep the faith alive that it won't happen this time."
Honey, this argumentation is really upsetting me, because it reminds me of beaten housewifes. Maybe we should have a relaxed talk? You can tell me everything you like, you know that.
Yours, sincerly #v
11/04/09
Dear Mr_Noyes,
Please forgive me for reading your mail (although as a lifer, you are surely used to it), but I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed it (and the cookies your mother sent you).
Yours sincerely, SJ_Edwards. #v
11/04/09
give me new scifi and i will give it a chance but no more remakes.
forme BSG is the last remake i will go near.i have to say enough is enough weith all these remakes. #v
11/04/09
11/04/09
give me new, original scifi and i will consider giving it a chance but please no more remakes.
BSG is the last remake i will go near. i must say enough is enough with all these remaekes . #v
11/04/09
11/04/09
11/03/09
11/03/09
It does make me sad when people don't watch a show because they think it's destined to fail. Sadly, whether it was or not, the people giving up before it starts consign it to that fate.
I hope this at least does well enough to make a complete one season story, if nothing else. #v
11/03/09
This show was the most heinous example of beat you over the head with a 2x4 allegory in scifi since Ronald Moore had the cylons calling the human resistance on New Caprica "insurgents".
I haven't groaned so loud or roll my eyes so much in a long time. Great job V.
Worse yet, as others have pointed out I simply didn't like the characters. There was no one to grab onto. Who cares?
The Visitors were too over the top sinister and nefarious acting. As smooth talking as Anna is she can't talk her way around difficult questions? Any idiot political intern knows how to do that.
And the show was cheesy. Not in a cool campy tongue in cheek 70s/80s way either. In a trying to be serious but laid it on way too thick way. #v
11/04/09
But now that I have policy-wonked out, yes, it's true. The V 2x4 was swung with great force. #v
11/03/09
11/03/09
1. Implying the aliens are coming for our natural resources, when they could be stripping Enceladus of water, Titan of methane and both the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud of any minerals they would ever need.
2. Planting among us, apparently for years, sleeper hybrids that can be exposed just by having a thin layer of skin peeled away.
3. They shouldn't even need hybrids. If they could avoid detection among us long enough to plant spies, the aliens could just as easily cloned, stolen human babies and raise them to be completely loyal Uncle Toms.
Guys (I mean Hollywood), I someone who gets a headache whenever I look at an issue of Scientific American*. If you can't fool even me, you're not even trying.
The only way this could be salvaged is by revealing the whole plan of the V's was to frighten humanity into banding together in the face of an outside threat, ala Watchmen.
*And no, I'm not proud of my ignorance. #v
11/04/09
11/03/09
Overall, I liked it. Y'know, there's always a couple of nits to pick as we scifi nerds are wont to do. BTW nice dig at the half awesome/half stupid "Independence Day".
The female cast is ridiculously sexy (speaking of which, no Jane Badler cameo?) and the special fx were spiffy, although I would've put a few dinosaurs on Wash's desk. ;-) #v
11/03/09
I found it really simplistic and utterly xenophobic: It's okay to mistrust foreigners because they'll just turn out evil anyway. And the ultimate proof evil? Their race looks different than your race, of course. Oh, there might be a few good ones - they're the ones that want to give up their way of life for yours.
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I thought the story would be a tad more sophisticated than this.
No thanks. #v
11/03/09
11/03/09
I was expecting something with more complex characterization than the 'us vs. them' theme the pilot seems to be rocking.
But maybe that is expecting too much from a pilot. It's possible the show/plot characters will become more complex at some later point. #v
11/03/09
11/03/09
11/04/09
I liked the reveals of Wash and the Freddy Kruger analog - they were nicely done, though I was beginning to suspect Alan Tudyk just based on his guest star status, though I wondered if he was going to be the Tony the cameraman analog - faithful sidekick who's killed by the Vs. Tony was my and my sister's favorite character in the original series, and he went out almost unceremoniously.
I also like how we find out that the arrival is only the latest move in a long campaign and that the resistance is already underway. That and how Julia from lost gets roped into the whole thing sideways by hunting terrorists and trying to ignore the arrival. That was a nicely done.
I'd've like to have seen more people organically questioning with healthy skepticism rather than having sides lining up on snap decisions. Someone should have been smart enough to smell something funny in their behavior - if they can speak all of our languages and know about our diseases, it should have been obvious they've been watching for a while. And just showing up in the sky above cities is a subtle show of strength, if they knew so much about us, why didn't they discreetly contact governments rather than just reveal themselves? How does an alien race know so much about modern PR and media manipulation? I hope we see the characters debating this when they have to convince people.
But I doubt this level of subtlety is going to be present in the show based on what I've seen, which is too bad.
Even so, I found it worth watching. I hope the fickle hands of execs don't make it worse to watch. #v
11/04/09
06:20 AM
:)
I even blanked on Robert Englund's name so I had to call him Freddy Krueger, which added an extra layer of abstraction to my point that the well-dressed bald black guy was our sleeper turncoat analog character. I'm not sure what it says about me or the show that I didn't walk away with any characters' names, though. #v
07:09 AM
A lot of the actors are deeply imbeded in other sci-fi mythos, so for them to stop being who they were and start being a new char will take more then 1 pilot.
maybe by episode 9? #v