The way I see it, sometimes, in SF, the writer wants to inject some of the related genre of Fantasy, but can't because the audience doesn't want Fantasy. So, they use the real-life event of dreams to present a fantasy sequence without violating the rules Science Fiction and what's scientifically possible.
Well, that and what you said here. Good list! #startrek
oddly enough, you didn't mention one reason for dream sequences, although perhaps it wasn't in the top 10. the reason i include dream sequences is to add to the back story and give motive to a character or give an explanation of a behavior, fear, quirk. i also use them as a way for characters to come face to face with their own fears, although that kinds comes out in some of the examples you gave, like the Ripley one. #startrek
Like comics0026 said, the Dream gives us a view on the characters state of mind. It lets us into her subconcious, exposing taboos and biases the audience could never appreciate through the characters waking life.
Your final statement I agree with completely. It is our desire to be overwhelmed by the weird, bizarre, ridiculous which drives us, in part, to watch/read SCiFi in the first place (going back to your escapism piece perhaps...:). The unconcious realm of the human mind and what resides there is intriguing, mysterious and wholly ripe for exploitation by writers. It works so well in science fiction becuse interior perception can be portrayed as anything - a sort of personal matrix if you will. #startrek
The best use of dream sequences and such are used to get inside the character's head, to get a better idea of the character's POV, where their head space is at, etc in a show, don't tell way. Of course, that only happens when it's done right...
For me, the best one was definitely Buffy's "Restless". Dawn's arrival was actually foreshadowed at the end of season 3, but it's teased even further here.
It's really a great episode after the somewhat disappointing showdown with the big bad.
"You think you know. What's to come. What you are. You haven't even begun. " #startrek
@octaslash: I'm going to challenge the season three assertion. Little sis is Buffy because Faith was taunting her about being all dressed up in big sis's clothes when Buffy was out for blood. I can't check it now, but I'm really sure that it was about Buffy and Faith's relationship. #startrek
As derivative a show Warehouse 13 is, I think SyFy finally nailed the formula in its own way. This is the show Sanctuary should have been. Sanctuary actually has a far better premise, its just hobbled by awful acting, characters you that you just can't like, and that stupid rendered background gimmick. Warehouse 13's spazzy, fish out of water main characters are actually likable, not to mention the very interesting curator of the warehouse. Its also is thankfully light on the whole CG background bit. They do need a little work in the editing department however. Maybe its just me, but trying to convince me that they flipped the SUV with a swerve while still showing the undercar mortar explosion that obviously did the flipping... thats just shoddy editing work.
So far, the best thing about the new SyFy is the little mini movie music video thing promoting it. It's an oddly catchy tune, and it's fun picking through it looking for all the different characters from scifi shows.
Oh well, at least Eureka is back.
Is it time to talk about this week's ep of True Blood yet? No? Oh well... bedtime for bonzo.
I enjoyed Warehouse 13 and Eureka's new eps for just dumb fun but on the point of direct remakes (BSG, all the reboot and remake movies etc.) I worry that in 20 years we will have no real shows to look back on, drag out the dusty DVDs, and say "This here defined good television of the 2000s!" because it will have been the same shows and movies from the last 20 years or more done over again.
Maybe there is hope though. We are bound to run out of things to remake eventually. Well, maybe not in our life times but certainly our grandchildren will have original programming.
While I am happy with some of Syfy's original programming, I sometimes find myself missing the days when the schedule was made up of reruns of 'Prisoners of Gravity', 'Dark Shadows', original 'Doctor Who', and various Irwin Allen and Gerry Anderson shows, among others.
I'm curious as to what kind of reaction and ratings they might receive if they made a place in their schedule for some imported programming. There have got to be some (at least marginally) good SF, Fantasy, and Horror/Mystery shows, both old and currently in production, available from not just the U.K. but from Japan, France, China, India, even Canada (no, the Syfy franchises they already shoot there don't count). Run some imported shows, even with subtitles. If a show garners fair ratings they might even consider remaking it for the North American market.
Actually, now that I think about it, and as Syfy seems interested in recycling or rebooting older properties, they might want to look back at some of the 70's movies-of-the-week/failed pilots like 'Questor Tapes', 'Spectre', 'Norliss Tapes', 'Earth II', etc., and either re-run or remake them with an eye towards taking them to series.
10/27/09
Well, that and what you said here. Good list! #startrek
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
Your final statement I agree with completely. It is our desire to be overwhelmed by the weird, bizarre, ridiculous which drives us, in part, to watch/read SCiFi in the first place (going back to your escapism piece perhaps...:). The unconcious realm of the human mind and what resides there is intriguing, mysterious and wholly ripe for exploitation by writers. It works so well in science fiction becuse interior perception can be portrayed as anything - a sort of personal matrix if you will. #startrek
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
It's really a great episode after the somewhat disappointing showdown with the big bad.
"You think you know. What's to come. What you are. You haven't even begun. " #startrek
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
07/13/09
07/13/09
07/13/09
Oh well, at least Eureka is back.
Is it time to talk about this week's ep of True Blood yet? No? Oh well... bedtime for bonzo.
07/13/09
07/12/09
Yeah, we do. Too bad you're stuck at the imagining step and can't deliver the goods being imagined...
Sarah, happy to see you back.
07/12/09
Maybe there is hope though. We are bound to run out of things to remake eventually. Well, maybe not in our life times but certainly our grandchildren will have original programming.
*Goes back to his cave and reading his books*
07/12/09
I'm curious as to what kind of reaction and ratings they might receive if they made a place in their schedule for some imported programming. There have got to be some (at least marginally) good SF, Fantasy, and Horror/Mystery shows, both old and currently in production, available from not just the U.K. but from Japan, France, China, India, even Canada (no, the Syfy franchises they already shoot there don't count). Run some imported shows, even with subtitles. If a show garners fair ratings they might even consider remaking it for the North American market.
Actually, now that I think about it, and as Syfy seems interested in recycling or rebooting older properties, they might want to look back at some of the 70's movies-of-the-week/failed pilots like 'Questor Tapes', 'Spectre', 'Norliss Tapes', 'Earth II', etc., and either re-run or remake them with an eye towards taking them to series.