Re: Defying Gravity: "Pilot" & "Natural Selection" 8/2 Grading/Discuss
I enjoyed it well enough to want to keep watching. I can't wait to see what the numbers are like. It probably won't last, but then again, that's not the decision of one station alone, so who knows what'll happen.
The production values are better than the promo made them out to be, so this thing gets high grades there. The format is good too. I like that they have the action going back and forth between the ship and mission control with flashbacks thrown in. That'll help keep the show from feeling too confined and thus dull. Unfortunately it isn't handled nearly as well as it is on
Lost. Also, the drama is pretty slow and most of the characters haven't gelled with me yet. There's still time for that though. A lot of my favorite shows have had characters I didn't take to right away. I give this an 'above average' grade.
Now for a few points...
- I like Ron Livingston. I like his character Maddux Donner too. Donner doesn't have any of Ron's usual dry humor this time. Intead he's got the cool, confident manly man thing going and Ron pulls it off pretty well. Besides, you can't have two last names and not be cool.
- Some other characters were good too. I liked Laura Harris as Zoe Barnes and especially Andrew Airlie as the head of mission control. He was good. The others have potential too. They all had a good start with lots of personal issues serving as good hooks.
- Looks like this show has something in common with
BSG in that "fate" will play a role in the show. Did whatsherface call it "Beta"? I wonder what that's all about. Laura Harris did an interview where she didn't dismiss the possibility of an alien presence on the show.
- Speaking of Laura Harris, I liked seeing her naked.
I had to say it.
Let me explain...
There was something about a naked and vulnerable human out there in the cold vacuum of space, protected only by a layer of glass that not only made a nice visual, but made you stop and think about the whole idea just a bit.
- Looks like that scene of a naked Zoe floating out to space was a premonition that came to pass. I wonder what the others mean, especially the crying baby. It could be guilt on Zoe's part after he abortion, but it could also be something yet to come.
- I wonder where they're going with the birth control & abortion theme.
- Like I said, the show probably won't last. In a way, that's too bad. It might be nice to see what a round trip through the solar system would be like with stops at the various planets.
Oh, and what can't they be told about until they reach Venus? By the way, smart move on getting them there in just a few weeks so the audience doesn't lose too much patience.
