Defying Gravity: "Threshold" 8/9 - Grading & Discussion
- Thread starter Aragorn
- Start date
I watched the first three episodes today for the first time.
It all seems pretty standard fare. The back and forth is kind of annoying, but I guess they have to establish the characters. The stupid boner contest almost lost me. It is a bit soap opera-ish at points.
But then again we have the whole Beta thing: where did it come from, what is it, what does it want, etc. That's somewhat interesting, although I bet $5 they won't be able to deliver something decent on it.
I didn't realize there was such a strong interpersonal element to the show from the one preview I saw.
I was hoping for Solaris and got Grey's Anatomy in Space.
For now I'll keep going, but I think this is marginal.
JMHO
It all seems pretty standard fare. The back and forth is kind of annoying, but I guess they have to establish the characters. The stupid boner contest almost lost me. It is a bit soap opera-ish at points.
But then again we have the whole Beta thing: where did it come from, what is it, what does it want, etc. That's somewhat interesting, although I bet $5 they won't be able to deliver something decent on it.
I didn't realize there was such a strong interpersonal element to the show from the one preview I saw.
I was hoping for Solaris and got Grey's Anatomy in Space.
For now I'll keep going, but I think this is marginal.
JMHO
Given the horrible ratings, it might end up as a R1 DVD release. Why should ABC waste precious prime time slots on this turkey?
Man, this show is worse than I expected. Amazingly, astonishingly boring. None of the characters are remotely interesting except for Ron Livingston and the guy who was Sam's dad on Reaper, who makes a pretty effective if corny and one-dimensional villain.
Laura Harris, with all her annoying mugging and tics, is the most airlockably annoying actress I have seen in a long time. She should stick to roles like Evil Marie on 24, where her anti-charisma will be an asset. All the female characters in particular are badly written and badly cast.
The "mystery" with Beta is the sort of thing that will turn out to be a shallow, keep-em-watching gimmick that will fizzle in the end. I guess Beta kinda explains why the NASA stand-in here would hire a bunch of hormonal overgrown teenagers without an iota of professionalism or competence as astronauts - Beta wanted them! - but it doesn't explain why nobody in the press or the public or government oversight committees has noticed this extreme oddity.
Or the fact that their whole mission is obvious bullshit. Yeah these clowns are "more effective" at accomplishing their mission than computers and probes would be. Even the best astronauts could not compete with computers if for no other reason than machines are expendable. Manned space missions are for PR and political reasons; Apollo 11 certainly was. Why not build a series around that? Come up with a political impetus for space exploration (nations competing for colonies being an obvious one) to rationalize the presence of humans on spaceships.
I like it.... But then I am a sucker for space travel. 
I just caught up using Hulu - But I will go ahead and add a Tivo season pass for now.
They are actually doing a decent job on the science and accuracy (besides the comm-lag), although I wish they would make it clearer that the crew quarters are in the rotating sections. And also made it more obvious that they were in zero-G in their work areas.
Less flashbacks would be nicer.
I just caught up using Hulu - But I will go ahead and add a Tivo season pass for now.They are actually doing a decent job on the science and accuracy (besides the comm-lag), although I wish they would make it clearer that the crew quarters are in the rotating sections. And also made it more obvious that they were in zero-G in their work areas.
Less flashbacks would be nicer.
Well I certainly liked this episode,and maybe in time the series will pick up steam to find those viewers that appreciate science in the show is plausible if not down the road.
That's my two cents
Signed
Buck Rogers
P.S. My show went for two seasons LOL
That's my two cents
Signed
Buck Rogers
P.S. My show went for two seasons LOL
^Yeah, but your second season sucked and no one watches it. LOL
The zero-G puke was kinda cool though. And do they have their crew quarters in the rotating sections? They sleep in zipper sleeping bags with sleeves so they won't float around. At least that was my impression.
I like it.... But then I am a sucker for space travel.
They are actually doing a decent job on the science and accuracy (besides the comm-lag), although I wish they would make it clearer that the crew quarters are in the rotating sections. And also made it more obvious that they were in zero-G in their work areas.
Less flashbacks would be nicer.
The zero-G puke was kinda cool though. And do they have their crew quarters in the rotating sections? They sleep in zipper sleeping bags with sleeves so they won't float around. At least that was my impression.
Shawnster that's true,but of what I gathered talking with Gill Gerard the actor who portrayed me he did not like "Buck in Space" 2nd season either in fact he told a whole bunch of fans at a local Convention known as Farpoint2003,that if he had his way it would have been Buck exploring post-Holocaust Earth with occasional space dogfights to save it.^Yeah, but your second season sucked and no one watches it. LOL
I like it.... But then I am a sucker for space travel.
They are actually doing a decent job on the science and accuracy (besides the comm-lag), although I wish they would make it clearer that the crew quarters are in the rotating sections. And also made it more obvious that they were in zero-G in their work areas.
Less flashbacks would be nicer.
The zero-G puke was kinda cool though. And do they have their crew quarters in the rotating sections? They sleep in zipper sleeping bags with sleeves so they won't float around. At least that was my impression.
Signed
Buck Rogers
Quiet TWKI I'm trying to have my sleep period
^Yeah, but your second season sucked and no one watches it. LOL
I like it.... But then I am a sucker for space travel.
They are actually doing a decent job on the science and accuracy (besides the comm-lag), although I wish they would make it clearer that the crew quarters are in the rotating sections. And also made it more obvious that they were in zero-G in their work areas.
Less flashbacks would be nicer.
The zero-G puke was kinda cool though. And do they have their crew quarters in the rotating sections? They sleep in zipper sleeping bags with sleeves so they won't float around. At least that was my impression.
Well an establishing shot seemed to zoom into one of the 4 rotating pods. And if you have a rotating section it makes sense to put quarters there. As for the zipper sleeping bags - the ship might slow down or stop the rotation at any time for an emergency. That's my explanation anyway.
Made it to this episode. Verdict: all style and no substance. Shallow characters relaying on standardized Hollywood types, overuse of flashbacks and flash forwards to cover up lapses in plot and character development, sluggish storytelling, bland dialogue and scenes that reveal nothing about character, and shoddy science.
I'm out.
I'm out.
Last edited:
