Outcasts (BBC) series 1 discussion thread

[Pauln6]

I think the problem I have is that, considering that there are only 70,000 people battling for survival, they all seem so apathetic. Is that intentional or is it just bad writing?

SPOILERS

Despite her sympathy for the ACs, Fleur is happy to flirt (and more?) with the man who probably just summarily executed a prisoner inside the city walls where she has jurisdiction? Unless she has an alterior motive... or he does?

Surely the letter and diary are evidence and would both be placed into evidence where somebody else should have spotted the handwriting similarity? Their investigative technique is just so shambolic (putting fingerprints all over the love letter, failing to ask basic questions etc). They only have 70,000 people for goodness' sake. How hard can it be to investigate a crime?

Everybody is angsting about Cass' past but why does nobody think he should be suspended from work for failing to report he had a personal involvment in a case and for withholding evidence regardless of his reasons?

Having said all this, I just love the alien duplicates. Very creepy.

 

[Starkers]

Well I guess apathy might well be a common emotion in that kind of situation, I'd imagine instances of depression must be high. Yeah their concept of police work is really poor, but whether that's down to bad writing, or the fact that they've probably had to set up a police force from scratch is debatable. PAS aren't anything like the police, but then the Expeditionaries aren't anything like the army, they're just both what passes for the police and army.

I really think they should have told us the population earlier, it makes Forthaven bigger than it looks, and also helps explain why, even after years, people don't recognise each other on sight.

I liked the duplicate Tate, and I loved the little scene between Stella and Tipper!

By the way, and not a spoiler cos I don't know, but anyone else wondering if Stella's husband is going to be on the oncoming ship?

 

[Pauln6]

I liked the duplicate Tate, and I loved the little scene between Stella and Tipper!

By the way, and not a spoiler cos I don't know, but anyone else wondering if Stella's husband is going to be on the oncoming ship?

Nice little flirtation - they could have worked on that earlier. If her husband is on the ship it would have been even more interesting then. We'll have to see what transpires.

 

[Dac]

Jesus. It took them long enough didnt it?!

That was a cracking episode. Seriously, interesting from the get go and instead of coasting through the episode on the initial story it built and built and built. Its a damned shame it took 6 relatively pointless and boring episodes to get here.

 

[TiberiusMaximus]

I was impressed by Episode 7...it got started right away instead of meandering like some other episodes have.

I really don't get Julius...yes, he's supposed to be loathsome and I want him to die horribly...but seriously, what is his problem? He knows next to nothing about the ACs, and yet he wants to go to war with them...although he may just be using them as a tool to unite the people against Tate. Sheesh, what a slimy, manipulative, backstabbing, moronic, creepy little suck-up. I hope the aliens kill him first.

I'm really starting to like Tipper Malone.

My first thought on seeing Josie Hunter was, Oh, crap! It's Helen Cutter. They're all gonna die!

 

[Starkers]

^ You've hit the nail on the head, the ACs are just a convinient enemy to unite people against. He at least seems to be getting subtler now!

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

Just watched episode 7. They're such a bunch of feckin' idiots that the human race must be doomed, never mind the show. There were so many holes and WTFs in the episode that I lost count of them. There's no way that the plot lines will get resolved in the final episode. I expect it'll end with an enormous cliff-hanger related to the arrival of the last ship from Earth. Personally, I don't care if it never returns. I've seen enough of this cargo-container city stuffed full of dimwits.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Just watched episode 7. They're such a bunch of feckin' idiots that the human race must be doomed, never mind the show. There were so many holes and WTFs in the episode that I lost count of them. There's no way that the plot lines will get resolved in the final episode. I expect it'll end with an enormous cliff-hanger related to the arrival of the last ship from Earth. Personally, I don't care if it never returns. I've seen enough of this cargo-container city stuffed full of dimwits.

So you'll still be watching the next episode, then?

 

[Guy Gardener]

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, Snort! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Whu?

Is it over?

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

So you'll still be watching the next episode, then?

Yeah, I'm a feckin' idiot as well. I might as well given that I've already spent 7 hours watching it hoping that it would pull round.

 

[Starkers]

Just watched episode 7. They're such a bunch of feckin' idiots that the human race must be doomed, never mind the show. There were so many holes and WTFs in the episode that I lost count of them. There's no way that the plot lines will get resolved in the final episode. I expect it'll end with an enormous cliff-hanger related to the arrival of the last ship from Earth. Personally, I don't care if it never returns. I've seen enough of this cargo-container city stuffed full of dimwits.

So you'll still be watching the next episode, then?

I'm hoping the DVD may have some kind of 'what we planned to do' feature...that's assuming it gets a DVD release of course!

Had an interesting thought on Sunday. I notice that Outcasts is a co-production with an American company, is it therefore scheduleed to air in the States in the near future? Just wondering what happens if the US ratings are great?

 

[Zulu Romeo]

Had an interesting thought on Sunday. I notice that Outcasts is a co-production with an American company, is it therefore scheduleed to air in the States in the near future? Just wondering what happens if the US ratings are great?

Presumably a second series with more American actors and a guest performance from Alan Dale.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

I'm hoping the DVD may have some kind of 'what we planned to do' feature...that's assuming it gets a DVD release of course!

On April 4 apparently:

http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/1865...ource=0&searchstring=outcasts&urlrefer=search

Also on Blu-ray, but I won't be buying it in either format. It wasn't a keeper on my V+ box.

 

[Starkers]

Had an interesting thought on Sunday. I notice that Outcasts is a co-production with an American company, is it therefore scheduleed to air in the States in the near future? Just wondering what happens if the US ratings are great?

Presumably a second series with more American actors and a guest performance from Alan Dale.

Well he is legally obliged to be on every show eventually...

 

[Bob The Skutter]

^It's a BBC/BBC America co-production, produced by Kudos, part of Shine who were just bought by Sky, with money from Film Afrika Fourteen and ApolloMovie Geteiligungs GmbH, looking at the credits now, no wonder it took so long to get off the ground.
1 more episode and then we're left to wonder what might have been. Oh well. I'll miss it.

Outcasts continued with 1.33m (9.7%) from 10.30pm.

 

[Starkers]

Dear lord! I'd say the show being designed by comittee wouldn't have helped, but it was all the same writer wasn't it?

Those still seem good numbers for the timeslot (but I'm not au fait with what counts as good, just going on the fact that when Being Human gets those kind of numbers its seen as a good thing) which suggests an audience is there for this kind of show, but that maybe the BBC need to make something a lot cheaper with fewer expectations for it being a prime time hit. I do hope they learn from Outcasts' missteps however (and it has made plenty, that can't be denied) but I also hope that many in the sci-fi community give the next show more of a chance. I know Outcasts isn't perfect, but the bile spewed out by some in the sci-fi media has been really disproportionate to how bad the show is (or in fact isn't). The fact that it was billed as not science fiction probably put a few backs up (mine included) but the hate seems to go beyond that, I've seen a few SFX articles where they make very obvious mention to the show not being made by people who have experience in sci-fi or who are fans (which is a narrow vision if you ask me, should we wipe Richard Curtis' Vincent and the Doctor from existance?) and there does seem to be an element of snobbery at work. I'm not saying that's the only reason, or even the driving reason, but people seemed to be waiting to kick Outcasts; and I hope the BBC learn from that as well.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Same happened with Defying Gravity. It "Wasn't sci-fi" and was billed as Grey's Anatomy meets Lost... in space and people decided it was horrible from the start but it was actually a fairly decent show when you gave it a fair go.

Yeah, it's all written by the same person but I don't suppose it helps having so many different people to please, but it's a decent show and deserves better. Oh well.

 

[JoeZhang]

but I'm not au fait with what counts as good, just going on the fact that when Being Human gets those kind of numbers its seen as a good thing

Being Human is on BBC3 and is made for maybe a tenth of the budget, it's comparing apples with oranges.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

but I'm not au fait with what counts as good, just going on the fact that when Being Human gets those kind of numbers its seen as a good thing

Being Human is on BBC3 and is made for maybe a tenth of the budget, it's comparing apples with oranges.

Which is where the lower budget and lowering prime time expectations comes in. You're right of course, just a shame to see another sci-fi show cancelled.

 

[Pauln6]

Same happened with Defying Gravity. It "Wasn't sci-fi" and was billed as Grey's Anatomy meets Lost... in space and people decided it was horrible from the start but it was actually a fairly decent show when you gave it a fair go.

Yeah, it's all written by the same person but I don't suppose it helps having so many different people to please, but it's a decent show and deserves better. Oh well.

Yeah I missed the first couple of episodes of defying gravity but I really enjoyed the series, despite the mush. The central problem is that many sci fi fans dislike the mush and many women dislike the sci fi; finding a balance will not be easy. US shows have also swung too far towards 5-year arc shows - I think this mindset damages them because the writers are too slow and self-indulgent getting the plot going. Shows like Buffy had the right idea - stick to one arc per season with a very loose series arc and a certain number of filler episodes.