'Falling Skies' on TNT HD - Page 47

Now wait a second...

Star Trek has never been about the ship or the aliens. It's always been a commentary on our society as humans. It just happens to take place in space. The fact that it takes place in space merely allows us to explore issues like race relations, equality, genocide, war and fear of oppression without being seen as such. If you set out to make a show like that set in the present day on Earth, it's likely it would be to polarizing to be widely accepted.

Put it in the future aboard a Starship, though, and you can slip all that in there. It's like Sesame Street disguising learning by teaching stuff with furry monsters.

Further, we've seen incarnations of Star Trek in recent decades that often tell similar tales, just with better sets and different actors playing similar characters. Therefore, it's a good bet that if the original Star Trek were made now with the tools available now, it would likely have the same dedicated audience and likely use similar amounts of FX - just with a bit more polish in regards to sets and such.

Star Trek:TNG and DS9 had rather long runs compared to a lot of other shows at the time (or even now). Yet, the only indication they were in space on many episodes were a few exterior establishing shots and the occasional window with a star field in it. Heck, that star field was actually a sparkly curtain, which is about as low tech as you can get.

In the case of Voyager and Enterprise, the biggest issues were ongoing arcs with alien species that bogged down the show (Kazon and Xindi) along with cardboard characters we didn't care about. Plus, those shows more than any incorporated special FX into them to try to boost weak plotline and too often fell back to the same few characters to fix everything that went wrong each episode.

Though Firefly wasn't popular, there's no doubt it has a loyal fan base. Again, it was a show that relied on great characters rather than FX. If there was a down side, it was that it started out appearing to be a campy "Cowboys in Space" show. It's too bad most viewers never saw the great episodes that followed the first couple.

If there's a failing with many SciFi shows, it's the lack of genuine character development and quality dialog during those times when effects aren't available along with some desire to shove action into it.

And for the record, this week's episode appeared to have a lot of effects...just not alien effects.They were the invisible kind, which most of the audience wouldn't recognize.

My take on enjoying Falling Skies is much the same as enjoying the better Syfy channel movies. Overlook the obvious improblibilities and just enjoy the show.

To be fair, you can't solely blame Voyager for having gimmicks and relying on the same characters to solve problems repeatedly. How many TNG episodes ended up with Geordi's visor having to save the day in some random way? :P It became rather silly after a while, but as you've said, the "science" part of science fiction was generally of little importance in Star Trek, so it was a forgivable contrivance.

Yeah like the two guys each handling an end of 2X4 underneath the caravan rocking them back and forth, that type of invisible effects?

DJoel

can you even grow strawberries in south carolina?

here in calif, they will only grow in areas close to the coast.


and you want to talk about 60's-70's special effects, how about lost in space

This may be a little off on a tangent, but (in reference to "science" fiction) Captain Kirk's "flip" communicator preceded the Motorola flip cell phone by many years. Who is to say what may become real science at a future date.
How about one of Isaac Asimov's mid 50s robot novels that described people no longer leaving their homes, to go outside, but conducting all communication and business through screens (in their homes) rather than face to face. I wonder whatever happened to that piece of fantasy?
Edited by gprace - 8/9/12 at 12:46pm

I actually made that same point in some other thread around here somewhere. I will say, though, the communicator (minus the flip panel) actually was more like those Nextel Push-To-Talk phones in the way they operated. In fact, in cases where someone talks to the ships computer via one, it's very much like using Siri. The original Star Trek also predicted floppy discs and optical storage, too - just not their downfall well before the era Star Trek takes place in.

I know of a lot of people in the tech world created a lot of stuff based off of Star Trek technology specifically because they watched the show and thought "that would be cool to have". I have no doubt that if interstellar travel eventually occurs, it will be because someone wanted to create a real warp drive of some kind. There are already scientists moving molecules around via a crude transporter device.

The best writers of predictive SciFi generally work backwards for best accuracy. Instead of looking at where they think things are going, they look at where they've come from the beginning. That helps them not only predict where things will go, but potentially come up with a good timeline for it. One great example is from the original version of "The Time Machine". As the main character goes forward in time, he sees a shop window with a mannequin in it wearing Victorian era clothing of the time. As he progresses, there are fewer layers of clothing in the dress, less lace and eventually the clothes become more streamlined. Along with that, the hemline starts going up and you see what looks very much like the mini-skirt that was invented in 1964. The movie came out in 1960. In this case, whoever came up with that imagery for that scene likely looked at where clothing was at the time and where it was several decades ago to make a prediction that women's clothing would become much more revealing as the years went on.

Honestly, while I enjoy Falling Skies enough to continue to watch it despite constantly wondering why these people do so many silly things. However, it very often makes Robocop look like a lesson in serious SciFi - though I would be surprised if that's where we're headed. The bomb squad and SWAT teams already use robots in their jobs and drugs are likely to continue to be a problem as new and different substances come about to get people high. Heck, before a few years ago, who had ever heard of people getting high on bath salts?

First, you do know that Charleston, SC is right on the Atlantic Coast, right?

Further, they grow anywhere. Back where I grew up, we used to grow them every summer (though technically, they grew back every summer since they're perennials) in our garden some 300 miles from the nearest coast (which would be the Jersey Shore). They also grow wild all over the Northeast, both where I grew up and where I live now. I've got some growing in my backyard I didn't even plant.
Edited by NetworkTV - 8/9/12 at 6:44pm

Yes, when the Star Trek was mentioned and it's low budget I thought about Lost in Space too, you'll be surprise how much a spaghetti strainer a little sliver paint some fishing thread can go a long way

Pure magic!

Djoel

You'd be surprised at the ordinary items even high budget products modify and use to make stuff that doesn't really exist. Some of those strange looking high tech guns start out as some of those oddball toy guns. Special FX guys very often use everything from blender parts to KY Jelly to create aliens, space ships and futurist cars. The "Mr. Fusion" reactor on the DeLorean in Back to the Future was a Krupps Coffee maker. Terra Nova used Nerf guns to make their rifles. The Gatling gun on the front of the "Blue Thunder" helicopter was made out of painted broom handles.

As far as budget, Star Trek had one of the most expensive pilots at the time. While the budget was reduced for the series, the expense of it was a major factor in its cancellation since the ratings methods of the time didn't show a large enough audience to justify it.

Unfortunately, it wasn't until later they found that those methods likely greatly underestimated the actual audience.

This show has degenerated into a soap - talking heads and all. Poor Lourdes can't give up her dead lover, Maggie had a baby in prison, will Hal accept her after hearing her story? And on and on. There is nothing wrong with soaps, but to try and dress up this show as anything else is sad. Add the aliens and you get a more testosterone laden version of Desperate Housewives.

We are two years into this show ans we know little to nothing about the invaders, let alone how to defeat them - do the writers have a 10 year arc planned? Get to some meat, blow up some aliens and show the aftermath rebuilding a society and incorporating many of the kids that have been harnessed. I guess want I want is the writers to show some imagination.

My biggest problem with that was Hal's reaction because mine was "Eh, okay. Is that it?"

But given how long Hal took to make his move on Sarah Carter I'm expecting him to treat the situation like she murdered the baby by injecting heroin directly into the fetus while she was watching Jerry Springer and drinking a beer.

The show meanders along inoffensively every week until the writing just punches you in the face with it's predictability, inanity and stupidity. That scene and the horribly cliched Tector backstory (did they watch Battle: Los Angeles again last week?) are such examples. Made worse by the fact I was liking Tector and his girl just slowly growing in to the story as two people just surviving with each other. But no, they couldn't leave him as a simple guy who just happens to be good with a rifle. They had to make him a tortured soldier. Backstory! Make it dark and depressing!

It's fortunate the last five minutes happened because when the Mass saw one look at Charleston and decided to give up (because you know, Charleston is tiny and there couldn't possible have been survivors amongst/under/behind/hiding in those buildings or based in a tanker, cargo ship, cruise liner, aircraft carrier ...) I was groaning at their stupidity. I was hoping they would find one survivor and his last words to them would be:

"We were fine until about a month ago ... then we were swarmed by land and air. We didn't have a chance. It was as if every time someone from the resistance encountered an alien they just started spurting out 'We are going to Charleston. That's were the resistance is. Do you want to come? To Charleston. You know, Charleston? Charleston! Charleston! It's secret, don't tell anyone! Woohoo!' bleurrghhhhhh ..."

Come on Terry O'Quinn. Make the writing stronger and change the direction. Please don't be working with the aliens by sacrificing puppies and children to ensure the safety of the colony.

LOL!

Or, perhaps all they find is is some sort of note left behind...

"Here may be found the last words of Joseph of Aramathia. He who is valiant and pure of spirit may find the holy grail in the Castle of Aaauuuggghhh... "

Of course, with Terry O'Quinn involved, I'm worried this guy might eventually show up:



"You have to want to join us here in Charles-Widmore-Ston. No one can force you to - except for that guy with a gun..."

Agreed. This is such a tired line that I hope they aren't going down that path. I'd even accept some sort of mini dictatorship rather than the usual 'collaborate to survive' story, even though we've seen tin-pot dictators done enough times. Besides, they already went through that collaboration story in S1 when children were being handed over by another group.

His reaction to me made no sense. It really shouldn't even matter to HAL. That was the pre-Apocalyptic world. All that should matter to him is how she is now in the post Apocalyptic one. Too many other things to worry about in their current situation. What she did in the old world should not matter in their new world.

I'll agree...within reason, of course. If it turned out she used to kill all her boyfriends after 6 months, I think that would still be reason to give the relationship a bit more thinking.

In this case, though, it's quite obvious she's been clean for a while.

In all seriousness, I think I would have reacted the same way. If he had just shrugged his shoulders and said "no biggie" everyone would be whining on here about him . . .

I would take the same approach as well, played it cool until I got some nookie Heck it's the apocalypse and this chick is hot they're might be far and in between. So do with what you got.

DJoel

What? There is not a military veteran that can't be characterized as traumatized. It is lazy writing and doesn't add one bit to the overall story arc (assuming there is an overall story arc). Bringing in Terry O'Quinn does answer one question I had. Why kill off interesting characters? So that the budget would allow bringing in big hitters. Oh, well....

By the end of the episode his feelings of guilt were completely solved by 30 seconds of shouting during the road trip. If only Hal could get over things as fast as that.

I don't know, if I was Mike Myers I would have married Nancy Travis as well. You might be dead by skitters or skitter spiders before the 6 months is up so I'd take my chances.

Hal didn't have a problem instantly going all puppy-eyed at the return of his girlfriend who tortured his father a couple of months earlier and was in league with aliens. That's a far more risky proposition.

Just some random thoughts since I just caught up.

1) Yes, you can grow strawberries quite well in South Carolina.

2) Destroyed Charleston appeared to have more buildings, and taller buildings, than pre-alien Charleston.

3) Writers should have had the guts to make Sarah Carter's past much more flawed. The way they built up her revelation, and by the way Hal reacted, it should have been much worse than it was. No post-puberty male would turn away from Sarah Carter because she used to do drugs and steal a bit - especially in the context of the world they are currently living in.

4) If they are stuck in a mall next episode and the aliens can turn all our dead into zombies, this show is going to become all kinds of cool.

Yeah, and they could save budget money by culling clips from Dawn of the Dead and the Pittsburgh/Monroeville mall.  Couldn't hurt.

Knowing this show, they're likely hiding out in a strip mall with lights blazing in all the front windows and all the vehicles parked right out front....

That reminds me of Reservoir dogs dialog when Nice guy Eddie was WTF with all the cars in front of this place looks like a parking lot .

I'm sure it will be just like you said.

Djoel

This one I like, even though it was a little talk heavy we got some info about Charleston compound, or resort , hideout

DJoel

The writers fell into the "the USA is a democracy" trap. FWIW, it's a republic.

I agree that it was one of the better episodes.

So it takes the wondering band of minsterals to awaken the stupid hordes in unground Charleston to realize their new democracy was a dictatorship in disguise. Give me a frickin break! Utilities from who knows where. All the food! From where? Fledging hydroponics, pure bs. The writers want us to believe the invaders from Planet Nine haven't had a clue about these survivors! Most of the place unfinished yet somebody had time to put up a marble memorial to Democracy. I'm sure there is more wackiness to come.

It was a better episode until it hit the usual writing idiocy, that is so apparent to me that I can't believe it makes it into production.

The first introduction to the Mass was "I bet it's been a long time since you've seen real beds or hot water" and they don't reply with "well, we were just in a nice, clean hospital two days ago and that was just peachy, thanks." Did they say "it's been a while"?

Then the entire plot line they've take with Tector is just dumb as hell. Based on the one minute pep-talk from Weaver last week he not only instantly joined the new military and ignored his girlfriend and former buddies, but he then shot one of them! Only having a change of heart after another speech at the end. That guy went from being someone I was really enjoying during his brief screen appearances to a character that is really poorly written. His allegiance changes so easily I wouldn't be surprised if he joins the aliens next.

The entire sequence with the gun cage was just dumb too. They put all their weapons in one place and apparently don't lock the gate or station a guard or place an armory chief in there; so anyone can walk in and take what they want. Who wrote their security manual? I've seen libraries with better security.

Plus as I mentioned previously, all the aliens know about Charleston. The constant dialog lapses don't seem to have clicked with the Mass though. Wait until Manchester and the general find out that Mason and co. have been talking about it in front of the Overlords and their blond assistants as well as letting Ben tell his skitter buds!

Good to see Matt Frewer onscreen again. I hope he gets a more heroic role next week.