They say that, technically, Star Wars is a Western because of the way the plot and characters are arranged. But genre-wise, the series is usually put into sci-fi, right? Because it takes place partially in space and includes space travel and people from different planets. But I usually think of the Star Wars universe as fantasy.
Rewatching the entire series (starting with the original trilogy, then the prequel trilogy, of course), I started thinking about little things that I liked when I was younger. I liked Tatooine, with its beautiful sky and desert architecture and white linen clothing. I liked all the green on Endor. I liked all the braids in the hairstyles.
This type of thing, it reminds me of some of the things I loved while watching The Lord of the Rings for the first time. The trees and blue lights of Lothlorien, Galadriel's long hair and skirts, the cloaks of the Fellowship, the rolling hills of Rohan. Beautiful and/or fascinating things to look at. That's what fantasy often offers since it portrays a different world, only partially designed after our own. And Star Wars takes place in a galaxy far, far enough away that it might as well be a whole new universe. It has its own rules, system, settings, and people. To me, Tatooine is as fascinating as Lothlorien, if in a completely different way.
Instead of dwarves or fairies or unicorns, there are jawas, wookies, and droids. And instead of magic, there is the Force. Think about something like Harry Potter, where the characters have to learn to use magic, choosing either good or ill as you do with anything in life. That type of journey is not so unlike Luke's and Anakin's journeys toward understanding their power. They can levitate things with their minds, after all; that's more fantasy than science.
Maybe it's also because the space element is engrained in the Star Wars world that it feels more like fantasy than sci-fi. We're not dealing with a future version of our world where Earth has gained space travel; we're dealing with a different territory where space travel is just one of the facts of existence. Isn't fantasy wonderful?
Showing posts with label sci-fi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sci-fi. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Stargate Universe
It's more than a year now since I found Primeval. Since then, I've found myself watching a lot of sci-fi shows. While they all of course have certain similarities because that's the nature of fiction, I'm more interested in the differences between them--in why I can't stand some, am neutral toward a few, and really enjoy others.
Although I have never watched anything in the Stargate franchise and although I usually like to start at the very beginning when going into a new franchise, I tried out Stargate Universe last month. Yes, it was because after Once Upon a Time, I've been seeking some of Robert Carlyle's other roles. And yes, I do think he had the best role in SGU. Anyway. While not having any awareness of the Stargate world meant that I was pretty confused during the pilot, I quickly fell into the pace of the show. Every so often, I knew I was missing something, but sometimes that's just how life is. After all, the structure of this show, intentionally, didn't always fully explain everything, including new things. "Time," for instance, was structured in a way that felt completely fresh.
Summaries of this show do little to express what watching it is like. From what I understand, they took a different angle with this series from the rest of the franchise--I can speak nothing for the differences, but I like the angle they used. While all the violence and despair and whatnot in the Battlestar Galactica reboot bothered me so much, SGU handled similar material differently. (While some people do make the comparison between the shows, I would argue that SGU is much more similar to the original Battlestar Galactica and very little like the reboot. It's more hopeful and endearing.) There is still a certain amount of violence (less, though, right?), action, and creepy atmosphere, but it's tempered with reality.
These characters feel real. You can understand how they think and feel. It took a moment to warm up to the cast, but when I did they became a group of people I cared about. This isn't the only show to make use of an isolated group of people, but I think they handled the group dynamics very well. There is a pioneer side to their quest to survive, but we also see the technical side--and the sci-fi side through things like the communication stones and the Kino. The Kino--what a brilliant idea that was. It modernizes the whole format of the show while at the same time allowing us to see "moments in time" that express who the characters are; other shows sometimes gloss over moments like this in order to continue advancing plot. But plot gets meaningless if you're missing good characters.
At the same time as it would have been wonderful to have more than two seasons of this show, it ended in a place where I can imagine my own ending for the characters. I can say goodbye to them and look forward to bright prospects in their futures. (Oh, and I think someday when I have my own house, I'm going to paint a wall in my office with chalkboard paint and scribble all other it like Dr. Rush, only with words instead of numbers. I've always loved chalkboards.)
Although I have never watched anything in the Stargate franchise and although I usually like to start at the very beginning when going into a new franchise, I tried out Stargate Universe last month. Yes, it was because after Once Upon a Time, I've been seeking some of Robert Carlyle's other roles. And yes, I do think he had the best role in SGU. Anyway. While not having any awareness of the Stargate world meant that I was pretty confused during the pilot, I quickly fell into the pace of the show. Every so often, I knew I was missing something, but sometimes that's just how life is. After all, the structure of this show, intentionally, didn't always fully explain everything, including new things. "Time," for instance, was structured in a way that felt completely fresh.
Summaries of this show do little to express what watching it is like. From what I understand, they took a different angle with this series from the rest of the franchise--I can speak nothing for the differences, but I like the angle they used. While all the violence and despair and whatnot in the Battlestar Galactica reboot bothered me so much, SGU handled similar material differently. (While some people do make the comparison between the shows, I would argue that SGU is much more similar to the original Battlestar Galactica and very little like the reboot. It's more hopeful and endearing.) There is still a certain amount of violence (less, though, right?), action, and creepy atmosphere, but it's tempered with reality.
These characters feel real. You can understand how they think and feel. It took a moment to warm up to the cast, but when I did they became a group of people I cared about. This isn't the only show to make use of an isolated group of people, but I think they handled the group dynamics very well. There is a pioneer side to their quest to survive, but we also see the technical side--and the sci-fi side through things like the communication stones and the Kino. The Kino--what a brilliant idea that was. It modernizes the whole format of the show while at the same time allowing us to see "moments in time" that express who the characters are; other shows sometimes gloss over moments like this in order to continue advancing plot. But plot gets meaningless if you're missing good characters.
At the same time as it would have been wonderful to have more than two seasons of this show, it ended in a place where I can imagine my own ending for the characters. I can say goodbye to them and look forward to bright prospects in their futures. (Oh, and I think someday when I have my own house, I'm going to paint a wall in my office with chalkboard paint and scribble all other it like Dr. Rush, only with words instead of numbers. I've always loved chalkboards.)
Friday, September 21, 2012
Galactica 1980: A Backwards Continuation?
Whoops, do you mean to say that I watched all ten episodes of Galactica 1980 in three days? Now that I ought to be ashamed of--but, really, I can explain myself. You see, the first three part episode isn't streaming on Netflix, so I had to get the DVD out; and I hate keeping DVD's for a long time, so I watched all three parts Wednesday night so that I could mail the DVD back in the morning. And then when I got home today, I was just so tired (mentally, and a tad physically and emotionally, too) that it was dinner and Netflix for me. And I just kept clicking until those last four episodes were gone.
But also, as anyone who has watched this series will understand, I think I let myself run quickly through the show so I could get through it. It isn't something you particularly want to dwell on, which is also why I'm doing my write up now instead of waiting until tomorrow when I've had a chance to think things through.
When I gave my reaction to the original Battlestar Galactica, I more or less said positive things. It wasn't a perfect show, but it was such that I preferred to dwell on the positive. But that's harder to do for Galactica 1980. The problem seems to start in the show's premise: almost everything that was good about the original series is taken out of this one. Not only the characters we have come to know, not only the setting, but also the plots and ideals and the very dynamics. Apollo and Starbuck were the cool warrior buddies, reminding me of Tony and Roger in I Dream of Jeannie. But Troy and Dillon are completely shallow and flat characters; the script gives them no chance to show an emotional side or leadership skills or anything of that sort. Instead of being heroic and bright, they're bumbling and confused. They're out of their zone on Earth--but they have more trouble adapting than they ought. And if they did have that much trouble adapting, would it really make sense to send them and not some other category of people? People trained in culture rather than as warriors?
Ah, this is very difficult. Staying on track, I mean. I know that this show had budget constraints and that this was what kept the scripts so much on Earth . . . but couldn't either some creativity or better scripts offered an alternative to what this show became? What does seem to bother me most is the absence of the ideals; instead of this picture of a positive people, we are given a presentation of the problems in Earth's system and the problems of the Galactica's ability to adapt and survive. Problems, thrown in with some cheap laughs and flat characters? No wonder the show wasn't well received.
There were some okay scenes, and I particularly enjoyed the final episode (for obvious reasons--or should I say reason? A reason that starts with an "S"). I didn't waste my time. But this show may drift out of my memory before I realize it's even gone. On to the re-imagining of twenty-three years later.
But also, as anyone who has watched this series will understand, I think I let myself run quickly through the show so I could get through it. It isn't something you particularly want to dwell on, which is also why I'm doing my write up now instead of waiting until tomorrow when I've had a chance to think things through.
When I gave my reaction to the original Battlestar Galactica, I more or less said positive things. It wasn't a perfect show, but it was such that I preferred to dwell on the positive. But that's harder to do for Galactica 1980. The problem seems to start in the show's premise: almost everything that was good about the original series is taken out of this one. Not only the characters we have come to know, not only the setting, but also the plots and ideals and the very dynamics. Apollo and Starbuck were the cool warrior buddies, reminding me of Tony and Roger in I Dream of Jeannie. But Troy and Dillon are completely shallow and flat characters; the script gives them no chance to show an emotional side or leadership skills or anything of that sort. Instead of being heroic and bright, they're bumbling and confused. They're out of their zone on Earth--but they have more trouble adapting than they ought. And if they did have that much trouble adapting, would it really make sense to send them and not some other category of people? People trained in culture rather than as warriors?
Ah, this is very difficult. Staying on track, I mean. I know that this show had budget constraints and that this was what kept the scripts so much on Earth . . . but couldn't either some creativity or better scripts offered an alternative to what this show became? What does seem to bother me most is the absence of the ideals; instead of this picture of a positive people, we are given a presentation of the problems in Earth's system and the problems of the Galactica's ability to adapt and survive. Problems, thrown in with some cheap laughs and flat characters? No wonder the show wasn't well received.
There were some okay scenes, and I particularly enjoyed the final episode (for obvious reasons--or should I say reason? A reason that starts with an "S"). I didn't waste my time. But this show may drift out of my memory before I realize it's even gone. On to the re-imagining of twenty-three years later.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Battlestar Galactica: From the Beginning
Battlestar Galactica was one of those things I had been hearing about recently (in addition, of course, to Dr. Who, but I'm resisting watching Dr. Who--though I do plan to get to it eventually); I haven't even been sure if all of the references have been to the original 1978 series or to the more recent one. But being the way I am, I had to, in any case, start at the beginning.
It's always strange watching something you know has a cult following but which you know nothing about. The first part of the three part pilot bored me a bit, but I later wished I had been paying better attention since it sets the scene for so much. I started a pattern of watching one episode every night before bed, discovering after a few nights that I was looking forward to watching. The show is light and entertaining; it made me giggle and smile. Though it is sci-fi, it reminds me as much of a pioneer story.
Which brings me to the "comparisons." Yes, some of the design elements look suspiciously like Star Wars, but they are from the same era and the plot is hardly anything like Star Wars. It didn't remind me much of the original Star Trek series, either; in fact, it reminded me more of The Next Generation, sometimes so much so that I wonder if that crew got some ideas from Galactica. And the pure adventure of Battlestar Galactica almost reminds me more of a Jules Verne novel than other TV shows. With that said, this show seems to stand pretty steadily on its own.
As I said, it has something of the pioneer spirit, of braveness and daring, of responsibility and planning, of undaunted spirit and hope. Despite the Cylons, it stands in stark contrast to today's dystopian stories. And that I think is what makes this show enjoyable. It presents sorrows and hardships, but is never grim. Instead, it presents heroes who will stand up to foes and civilians that choose not to give up hope. Sure, the show obviously had some budget constraints, physical limits that set boundaries to a premise with great potential. Having finished the 1978 series yesterday and only the 1978 series, I say that there is still much to explore. Both with these characters we have been made familiar with and with this created world at large.
I'm nervous about starting in on the short 1980 series tomorrow. I'm thinking that my quick transition from series to series will help me accept each one better (how many are there? four total, right?) than original fans did. But is this a good or a bad thing? That, no one can answer.
It's always strange watching something you know has a cult following but which you know nothing about. The first part of the three part pilot bored me a bit, but I later wished I had been paying better attention since it sets the scene for so much. I started a pattern of watching one episode every night before bed, discovering after a few nights that I was looking forward to watching. The show is light and entertaining; it made me giggle and smile. Though it is sci-fi, it reminds me as much of a pioneer story.
Which brings me to the "comparisons." Yes, some of the design elements look suspiciously like Star Wars, but they are from the same era and the plot is hardly anything like Star Wars. It didn't remind me much of the original Star Trek series, either; in fact, it reminded me more of The Next Generation, sometimes so much so that I wonder if that crew got some ideas from Galactica. And the pure adventure of Battlestar Galactica almost reminds me more of a Jules Verne novel than other TV shows. With that said, this show seems to stand pretty steadily on its own.
As I said, it has something of the pioneer spirit, of braveness and daring, of responsibility and planning, of undaunted spirit and hope. Despite the Cylons, it stands in stark contrast to today's dystopian stories. And that I think is what makes this show enjoyable. It presents sorrows and hardships, but is never grim. Instead, it presents heroes who will stand up to foes and civilians that choose not to give up hope. Sure, the show obviously had some budget constraints, physical limits that set boundaries to a premise with great potential. Having finished the 1978 series yesterday and only the 1978 series, I say that there is still much to explore. Both with these characters we have been made familiar with and with this created world at large.
I'm nervous about starting in on the short 1980 series tomorrow. I'm thinking that my quick transition from series to series will help me accept each one better (how many are there? four total, right?) than original fans did. But is this a good or a bad thing? That, no one can answer.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Earth 2 & Anti-Sci-Fi
When I was in middle school, we had a prompt on a standardized test to write a science fiction story. I chose the "anti-science fiction" route: when "I" arrived at a new planet in the story, I had to set about pioneer-style tasks as part of the colonization effort. So it was technically sci-fi because it took place away from earth, but the content was a little different. Similar is Stephenie Meyer's The Host, which is categorized as sci-fi because it involves life from other planets, but also includes a great deal of people living in caves in the middle of the desert, where they perform such wonderful actions as growing food.
The mid-90's TV show Earth 2 also follows this type of progression. The premise is that a group of colonists are traveling to a new planet (now that Earth isn't much of a livable environment anymore); there are complications with the landing, though, and they must now travel across the planet to their intended destination over a series of months. It's definitely sci-fi terrain, but the episodes show some of the things Star Trek, etc. don't spend much time on. There are colonists in Star Trek, but the show only visits them in passing, whereas Earth 2 is about their daily trials. There is a bit of mystery, a smattering of cultural and psychological questions, and a nice combination of futuristic technology and pioneering methods (I love VR by the way: it might actually be better than the Holodeck.)
Some of the episodes are good; overall, it is a show worth watching, and one that I don't think has aged terribly in nearly two decades. (It's more than obvious it wasn't made today, but it isn't very "dated.") Some episodes are of less interest than others, but it isn't as if even the giant Star Trek can say otherwise.
It wasn't until a third/halfway through the show that I started to connect with the characters, first Julia and then Morgan (which meant that I also started to like Bess and Alonzo, naturally). Ironically, I had little interest in Devon, who is the most like the main character--Episode 17 "The Boy Who Would Be Terrian King" helped show me why I hadn't quite taken to her character. But what's nice about this show is that the focus is spread throughout the group: each character has a moment, and they all have some kind of importance to what's going on.
Admittedly, some aspects of the "living planet" premise start to drag or feel too far-fetched--this premise is interesting the first time or two you come across it (it's also in Avatar), but can quickly feel forced. So you can't over-think the show. And I don't find myself expecting to watch it again any time soon: I enjoyed it and would have liked a second season, but I never reached the addiction level on this one.
One last note: if you start watching this show on Netflix, you will want to know that the last two episodes are out of order (though that was apparently the order they aired in). What is listed as the third to last episode is actually the finale (can't you tell by the cliffhanger it ends on?). For more info on this, read this Wikipedia page.
The mid-90's TV show Earth 2 also follows this type of progression. The premise is that a group of colonists are traveling to a new planet (now that Earth isn't much of a livable environment anymore); there are complications with the landing, though, and they must now travel across the planet to their intended destination over a series of months. It's definitely sci-fi terrain, but the episodes show some of the things Star Trek, etc. don't spend much time on. There are colonists in Star Trek, but the show only visits them in passing, whereas Earth 2 is about their daily trials. There is a bit of mystery, a smattering of cultural and psychological questions, and a nice combination of futuristic technology and pioneering methods (I love VR by the way: it might actually be better than the Holodeck.)
Some of the episodes are good; overall, it is a show worth watching, and one that I don't think has aged terribly in nearly two decades. (It's more than obvious it wasn't made today, but it isn't very "dated.") Some episodes are of less interest than others, but it isn't as if even the giant Star Trek can say otherwise.
It wasn't until a third/halfway through the show that I started to connect with the characters, first Julia and then Morgan (which meant that I also started to like Bess and Alonzo, naturally). Ironically, I had little interest in Devon, who is the most like the main character--Episode 17 "The Boy Who Would Be Terrian King" helped show me why I hadn't quite taken to her character. But what's nice about this show is that the focus is spread throughout the group: each character has a moment, and they all have some kind of importance to what's going on.
Admittedly, some aspects of the "living planet" premise start to drag or feel too far-fetched--this premise is interesting the first time or two you come across it (it's also in Avatar), but can quickly feel forced. So you can't over-think the show. And I don't find myself expecting to watch it again any time soon: I enjoyed it and would have liked a second season, but I never reached the addiction level on this one.
One last note: if you start watching this show on Netflix, you will want to know that the last two episodes are out of order (though that was apparently the order they aired in). What is listed as the third to last episode is actually the finale (can't you tell by the cliffhanger it ends on?). For more info on this, read this Wikipedia page.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Primeval: My Latest Obsession
I don't normally find it necessary to mention spoilers; however, I will be dividing this post into two sections. The broad commentary, then the spoiler-ridden part that assumes you're already familiar with the plot-lines. This will also be rather a long post. Just so you know.
On with the broad commentary: I tend to watch a random assortment of things on Netflix, as one does. Genre only defines things to a certain degree, which is evidenced by the fact that Netflix will suggest things to me in which I am not at all interested based on other things I watched that are supposedly similar. But sometimes I take Netflix's random suggestions. Primeval was getting thrown at me, so I eventually added it to my instant queue. It seemed like it would be a little . . . tacky.
Which I suppose you can say that it is. It's interesting to look at comments on this show. Everyone admits faults in the first episode, particularly concerning the CG, but many of us were quickly able to move past that. Most people feel the need to state outright that the show isn't perfect, but those who like it really like it.
So let me say that I agree with some of this: the CG starts off weak (though you have to admit that 2007 is a long time ago in terms of computer effects, and TV effects are never going to be the same as movie ones). There are some plot holes in the writing, though it's sometimes hard to distinguish the plot holes from things that just haven't been revealed yet. But it's okay: I enjoyed the show, anyway. There's a little action, a little drama, a little suspense/conspiracy/whatnot. And it's the characters you want to see and learn more about. It's British sci-fi; I admitted to myself from the start that I probably wouldn't be as interested if it weren't British, but what's wrong with that? A show being British means more than just what the accents sound like (which are wonderful in their own right, of course). To imagine Primeval not being British is to imagine a completely different show.
Moving right along, let's bring in the spoilers.
Characters:
I think Connor became my favorite character from episode one, based off of such traits as his nerdiness, his nerdy fashion sense, his smile, his accent, and did I mention the way he dresses? Abby slowly started to win me over, too, until the pair became the show in my mind. And they do end up becoming the constant factor, the only members of the team to be there from start to finish. Their character arc is handled nicely: they never change, but they do develop. Outwardly, they gain more knowledge/awareness, but they also grow a little wiser about serious issues. They came back, in particular, from their year in the Cretaceous completely altered (yes, I am using altered as different from changed). Abby smiles less and Connor chickens out less (which probably only happened most in the first season, anyway). They're also officially a couple, which is . . . cool. Talking clothes again, Connor lost a little of his weird way of dressing when they got back, but I also noticed that he and Abby started wearing almost identical outfits. My theory is that neither of them cares much about material things anymore, so when they returned from a year away, they just went together on a quick shopping trip and bought the same items in men's and women's versions. I love Connor and Abby; if they had a two person show together, I would be happy.
Not that I don't have opinions on the other characters, too. Cutter reminds me of the western hero in the way that he stands off on his own. He's a very reactionary character. Connor initiates more action than Cutter: he's the one who brings everyone to the first creature investigation and the one who invents the devices to detect anomalies, close anomalies, and create anomalies. Cutter just thinks about things, assesses the situations, tries to help, sometimes tries to look for Helen and sometimes to stop Helen. Because he kept so much to himself, I don't think the show necessarily lost much when he died.
Stephen is different. I sort of liked him at first: he and Cutter had a nice partnership. When they were working together as friends, their characters complemented each other. But bring Helen into the picture and Stephen loses something. He and Cutter at odds was sad to see, and the more Stephen lets Helen draw him in, the less sympathy I have for him. He became sort of useless by the end of the second season: all he did was avoid the team and let Helen know what they were up to, it seems.
Ah, Helen. I'm split on her. She's played quite well and makes a convincing baddie. But she always appears to know (and be hiding) more than we ever find out she knew. Again, this is, if anything, an issue with writing. But she was a good antagonist for the show, while she lasted (you almost want to admire how many characters die in this show--that's a failure Star Trek never overcame, though no one really cares/complains). Fan theories about her reappearing remind me of those in Narnia-dom that argue about whether or not the Lady of the Green Kirtle in The Silver Chair is actually the White Witch.
Two characters that came to have more importance at a slow, nice pace were Lester and Becker. They were just the bureaucrat and "action man" (to quote Connor) at first, until I found myself pausing to realize that I liked their characters. Contrary to their slow integration were the characters introduced in Season 4. From Lester's intro, I was scared that Abby and Connor were gone--that would have been too much. Even when the two came back, still I was reluctant about the newbies for a while. Jess (I know, this is a childish criticism) I didn't like at first because I thought she was flirting Connor, though that's really just her personality. Matt I didn't much like because there was so much suspicion set up around his character; even after he gained Abby's trust, there was just something distant about him.
Plot-lines:
Understand that I grew up watching Star Trek, from an early enough age that I'm still forming my opinion on it. I don't consider myself a fan of sci-fi, but I think there are certain traits in it that draw me in. Sci-fi is an opportunity to combine action and drama. I like a little action, but I need more than just straight action or I get bored. So if sci-fi adds in that drama element, I get both. Primeval has both. There is the Abby/Connor sweet relationship, also whatever is going on with Helen, Matt/Emily, and Jess/Becker. Plenty of couples there, but none of it is over-the-top (some of the stuff with Helen is a little random, but, oh, well).
And while you have action, it's integrated with nerdiness. Cutter and Connor looking in such awe at the creatures that they recognize from fossils, a little distracted from any danger. The nerdiness is a big factor on this show: it's the reason most of the first characters are a part of everything and it's what allows them to take steps forward.
I think TV shows used to be more about individual episodes of similar events; now they are more about continuing plotlines. Primeval does both. The problem with the overarching stories here is that they have to come to an end; then you have to either stop or invent new ones. That's why Seasons 4 and 5 are so different from Seasons 1-3. And that's why:
Future works:
It's strange coming into this show with five seasons already out and just the slightest possibility of a sixth season dangling in the air. But it seems very slight. In any case, it won't be until next year and we know that they would have to reintroduce yet another reworking/new overarching plot. The show, as it is, came to a nice ending. I can leave the story there. But I really want just one last lap, one last chance to finish up with Abby and Connor.
Because of that last sentence, I'm hesitant about Primeval: New World. Set in North America, it will have new characters, although Andrew-Lee Potts will return in a cameo of Connor in the first episode. But can the show have strength without the characters we've come to love? Will it be at all the same? The Britishness will be gone, too, after all. Will anomalies be all we have left, and will they be enough?
The same goes for the rumors of a Primeval movie. We know Warner Brothers bought the rights a long time ago now and that it's still in the works as a possibility. But once again, it very likely will have no Abby & Connor. I would be so excited if it did . . . that could make a nice way to end five seasons (assuming that, after all, they won't make more). But with different characters, it would just be another sci-fi movie that I may or may not enjoy.
Final statements:
Whatever is coming for the series in the future, I have enjoyed these five seasons and found their no-more-than-ten-episodes-each too short. It's a silly show with fun humor that just happens to coincide with action about dinosaurs and future predators and drama about character relationships and developments. Pure, fantastical entertainment.
On with the broad commentary: I tend to watch a random assortment of things on Netflix, as one does. Genre only defines things to a certain degree, which is evidenced by the fact that Netflix will suggest things to me in which I am not at all interested based on other things I watched that are supposedly similar. But sometimes I take Netflix's random suggestions. Primeval was getting thrown at me, so I eventually added it to my instant queue. It seemed like it would be a little . . . tacky.
Which I suppose you can say that it is. It's interesting to look at comments on this show. Everyone admits faults in the first episode, particularly concerning the CG, but many of us were quickly able to move past that. Most people feel the need to state outright that the show isn't perfect, but those who like it really like it.
So let me say that I agree with some of this: the CG starts off weak (though you have to admit that 2007 is a long time ago in terms of computer effects, and TV effects are never going to be the same as movie ones). There are some plot holes in the writing, though it's sometimes hard to distinguish the plot holes from things that just haven't been revealed yet. But it's okay: I enjoyed the show, anyway. There's a little action, a little drama, a little suspense/conspiracy/whatnot. And it's the characters you want to see and learn more about. It's British sci-fi; I admitted to myself from the start that I probably wouldn't be as interested if it weren't British, but what's wrong with that? A show being British means more than just what the accents sound like (which are wonderful in their own right, of course). To imagine Primeval not being British is to imagine a completely different show.
Moving right along, let's bring in the spoilers.
Characters:
I think Connor became my favorite character from episode one, based off of such traits as his nerdiness, his nerdy fashion sense, his smile, his accent, and did I mention the way he dresses? Abby slowly started to win me over, too, until the pair became the show in my mind. And they do end up becoming the constant factor, the only members of the team to be there from start to finish. Their character arc is handled nicely: they never change, but they do develop. Outwardly, they gain more knowledge/awareness, but they also grow a little wiser about serious issues. They came back, in particular, from their year in the Cretaceous completely altered (yes, I am using altered as different from changed). Abby smiles less and Connor chickens out less (which probably only happened most in the first season, anyway). They're also officially a couple, which is . . . cool. Talking clothes again, Connor lost a little of his weird way of dressing when they got back, but I also noticed that he and Abby started wearing almost identical outfits. My theory is that neither of them cares much about material things anymore, so when they returned from a year away, they just went together on a quick shopping trip and bought the same items in men's and women's versions. I love Connor and Abby; if they had a two person show together, I would be happy.
Not that I don't have opinions on the other characters, too. Cutter reminds me of the western hero in the way that he stands off on his own. He's a very reactionary character. Connor initiates more action than Cutter: he's the one who brings everyone to the first creature investigation and the one who invents the devices to detect anomalies, close anomalies, and create anomalies. Cutter just thinks about things, assesses the situations, tries to help, sometimes tries to look for Helen and sometimes to stop Helen. Because he kept so much to himself, I don't think the show necessarily lost much when he died.
Stephen is different. I sort of liked him at first: he and Cutter had a nice partnership. When they were working together as friends, their characters complemented each other. But bring Helen into the picture and Stephen loses something. He and Cutter at odds was sad to see, and the more Stephen lets Helen draw him in, the less sympathy I have for him. He became sort of useless by the end of the second season: all he did was avoid the team and let Helen know what they were up to, it seems.
Ah, Helen. I'm split on her. She's played quite well and makes a convincing baddie. But she always appears to know (and be hiding) more than we ever find out she knew. Again, this is, if anything, an issue with writing. But she was a good antagonist for the show, while she lasted (you almost want to admire how many characters die in this show--that's a failure Star Trek never overcame, though no one really cares/complains). Fan theories about her reappearing remind me of those in Narnia-dom that argue about whether or not the Lady of the Green Kirtle in The Silver Chair is actually the White Witch.
Two characters that came to have more importance at a slow, nice pace were Lester and Becker. They were just the bureaucrat and "action man" (to quote Connor) at first, until I found myself pausing to realize that I liked their characters. Contrary to their slow integration were the characters introduced in Season 4. From Lester's intro, I was scared that Abby and Connor were gone--that would have been too much. Even when the two came back, still I was reluctant about the newbies for a while. Jess (I know, this is a childish criticism) I didn't like at first because I thought she was flirting Connor, though that's really just her personality. Matt I didn't much like because there was so much suspicion set up around his character; even after he gained Abby's trust, there was just something distant about him.
Plot-lines:
Understand that I grew up watching Star Trek, from an early enough age that I'm still forming my opinion on it. I don't consider myself a fan of sci-fi, but I think there are certain traits in it that draw me in. Sci-fi is an opportunity to combine action and drama. I like a little action, but I need more than just straight action or I get bored. So if sci-fi adds in that drama element, I get both. Primeval has both. There is the Abby/Connor sweet relationship, also whatever is going on with Helen, Matt/Emily, and Jess/Becker. Plenty of couples there, but none of it is over-the-top (some of the stuff with Helen is a little random, but, oh, well).
And while you have action, it's integrated with nerdiness. Cutter and Connor looking in such awe at the creatures that they recognize from fossils, a little distracted from any danger. The nerdiness is a big factor on this show: it's the reason most of the first characters are a part of everything and it's what allows them to take steps forward.
I think TV shows used to be more about individual episodes of similar events; now they are more about continuing plotlines. Primeval does both. The problem with the overarching stories here is that they have to come to an end; then you have to either stop or invent new ones. That's why Seasons 4 and 5 are so different from Seasons 1-3. And that's why:
Future works:
It's strange coming into this show with five seasons already out and just the slightest possibility of a sixth season dangling in the air. But it seems very slight. In any case, it won't be until next year and we know that they would have to reintroduce yet another reworking/new overarching plot. The show, as it is, came to a nice ending. I can leave the story there. But I really want just one last lap, one last chance to finish up with Abby and Connor.
Because of that last sentence, I'm hesitant about Primeval: New World. Set in North America, it will have new characters, although Andrew-Lee Potts will return in a cameo of Connor in the first episode. But can the show have strength without the characters we've come to love? Will it be at all the same? The Britishness will be gone, too, after all. Will anomalies be all we have left, and will they be enough?
The same goes for the rumors of a Primeval movie. We know Warner Brothers bought the rights a long time ago now and that it's still in the works as a possibility. But once again, it very likely will have no Abby & Connor. I would be so excited if it did . . . that could make a nice way to end five seasons (assuming that, after all, they won't make more). But with different characters, it would just be another sci-fi movie that I may or may not enjoy.
Final statements:
Whatever is coming for the series in the future, I have enjoyed these five seasons and found their no-more-than-ten-episodes-each too short. It's a silly show with fun humor that just happens to coincide with action about dinosaurs and future predators and drama about character relationships and developments. Pure, fantastical entertainment.
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