Extant premieres tonight - are you going to watch?

[dub]

I keep watching Under the Dome and Falling Skies for reasons I, myself, can't even fathom.

Wow. I stopped watching Under the Dome 6 or 7 episodes in -- and me sticking with it that long is hard for me to fathom.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

Re: Extant

it's so rare for CBS to do science fiction shows that I feel I should support its efforts,

I watched it live and agree that I'll check out TV sci-fi but I am rarely satisfied. The flashbacks to Molly Woods (Halle Berry) aboard the space station are the parts I liked. Good CGI visual FX for the exterior of the space station. I think this show like ABC's Defying Gravity (2009) Summer series and Heroes TV series are going to use the flashbacks as major plot device instead of just telling the story in the present.

the premise seems like a rehash of things we've seen before. The idea that Berry's character was on a 13-month solo space mission is insanely stupid; NASA would never send anyone on a solo mission in the first place, given the urgency for redundancy in space,

Agreed. The earthbound plot was not that interesting to me. Like Defying Gravity I really liked all I saw for the space-based part of the show.

CBS ordered this show as a 13-episode straight-to-series order, bypassing the traditional pilot stage. Uncommon for CBS network.
Since the show is based around a "high-concept mystery" rather than just a space-based straight drama it has what CBS wants for it's audience. Can you do "Gravity" for 13 episodes? No. Can you do "Gravity" without all the action for 13 episodes in space with just 2 or 3 people? It has not been done before but it would be a major character study and the closest we come to it is episodes of sci-fi series like Star Trek ENT lifeboat-type episode
#116 Shuttlepod One 02/13/2002

This is a "bottle show", which accounts for its absence of guest stars and background performers. The installment also does not incorporate any unique, episode-specific sets. It was filmed to lower the production costs of Enterprise's first season.

Sure that works for 2 or 3 hours of a show at the most not a whole 13-episode season but for a space-based show story arcs like this could do it for total sci-fi not in an earthbound sci-fi series.

 

[Owain Taggart]

The footage shows her reacting warmly and intimately to someone who isn't there. If her superiors had seen it, they would have thought either that she was hallucinating in the middle of a crisis or taking a sexual fantasy break in the middle of a crisis, neither of which would be very good for her. And I can't blame her for not wanting other people to see video footage of her having a sexual experience.

Well, agreed. Not going to argue there. I just felt it was oddly put together.

Do you remember the earlier scene where she was looking through a video album? He was the man in the photos, Marcus. Her current husband came in and they talked about how they never would have met if Marcus hadn't died. (Which was a weird and awkwardly written scene, because it came off as Goran Visnjic saying, "Boy, I sure am glad your beloved first husband croaked, because it gave me the perfect chance to get into your pants.")

Yeah, I remember. But like you say, because it was awkwardly written, I didn't immediately make the connection. Heck, before you mentioned, it I didn't even realize who his name was. Come to think of it, there are a lot of things about this series so far that come off as feeling really awkward. As if everything is coldly calculated.

 

[JD]

I enjoyed it. They set up some pretty interesting mysteries here.
I'm curious exactly how the kid being an android is going to tie into whatever is happening with Molly.
I was also really confused by the scene with the Yasumoto (Hiroyuki Sanada's character) waking up from hibernation or whatever he was in. It seemed like something that should be significant, but there was no real explanation or even hints as to what was going on there. It just seemed random at this point.
At this point, I'm wondering if whatever is happening to Molly is going to end up being something that Yasumoto's company did to her by itself.
I was actually surprised by how futuristic it is.
It was interesting enough to get me to stick with it for a while, but it was probably my least favorite of the new shows this summer. I've enjoyed Crossbones, The Last Ship, and Dominion more.

 

[Professor Zoom]

There was, as I feared, not the slightest attempt to explain the utter absurdity of a 13-month solo space mission. It was an unbelievable premise contrived merely to justify the impossible pregnancy. Unless it turns out the corporation that Knows More Than It's Telling intentionally sent her out there alone as bait or something. But then you'd think people would be asking why they'd do something so bizarre and dangerous as sending an astronaut out alone.

Ah.

When I first heard the premise, I thought, ok, there must be a reason why for a solo mission...

...then I started watching the opening act, and we get to her flashback (with flashback long hair so we knows its in the past) and she's on a pretty big space station... and I start thinking, well, that's a lot of wasted resources for just one person... maybe there's a good reason, because right now, the reason seems to be THE HOOK.

Ugh.

Now, I feel zero reason to watch the remainder of the pilot. I was already getting bored of... well, the first act... boring...

Though, AI Kid could be interesting. I would like a show about that. Not a long term mystery based on a stupid premise that makes no sense.

I'm out.

 

[Mister Fandango]

There's plenty of valid reasons why they'd want to experiment on prolonged solo space missions. For example, maybe they were preparing for an interplanetary trip, or even interstellar (hence Hatake being in that tank), and needed to see how humans react to being in space for extended periods of time without anyone else around so that they could take turns being in hibernation.

 

[Professor Zoom]

There's plenty of valid reasons why they'd want to experiment on prolonged solo space missions.

Great, then they could've included one. Even if it turns out to be a cover story.

But they didn't. Which says something about the writers.

Edited to add: actually, no. There aren't plenty of valid reasons. Why would you want to do a SOLO interplanetary mission? What would be the advantage of that? What if something goes wrong and you only have ONE person on the ship... awake or just solo... and they are incapacitated... well, now you've gone and fucked your multi billion dollar mission.

 

[Mister Fandango]

I didn't say or imply that it would be a solo interplantetary/interstellar mission. I sad they might be testing it to see how they would handle taking turns being in some kind of hibernation during the trip. If something serious happens, or some sort of deadman switch is involved, the rest of the crew could be awoken prematurely.

Solo missions also happen all the time in Television Land. Buck Rogers and John Crichton, just off the top of my head, both say hello.

Also, they didn't exactly explain much of anything about anything going on in the show, with the sole exception of why they had an AI kid. And even that was only partially explained.

 

[Avalon]

Didn't they say that the reason she was doing a solo mission was because the previous two-man mission had gone so badly, resulting in at least one death?

Also, isn't this a private company now, not NASA, doing the space missions?

I agree, a 13-month solo mission seems like a seriously bad idea and something that NASA would never do. And it does seem like the set up is solely to convince us that there is only one way Molly could have gotten pregnant. The episode seemed choppy and graceless with too many concepts thrown in and not enough real information provided. I'm curious enough to see how the next episode goes, and I'm hoping it improves, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Mister Fandango]

To be fair, it was only a partially solo mission. There was an AI onboard, just not one with a body (as far as we know). So it wasn't like she was completely alone. Doubly so considering she had an AI child at home, so she was used to dealing with them as real people.

 

[Christopher]

Didn't they say that the reason she was doing a solo mission was because the previous two-man mission had gone so badly, resulting in at least one death?

I don't recall any attempt to assert a cause and effect there, and even if there had been, how would that make even the tiniest bit of sense? If it was dangerous to send only two people, wouldn't it be even more dangerous to send just one? Wouldn't it be safer to send an even larger crew, so there'd be more people to help an endangered or injured member and, if the worst happened, more people to take the place of a crew member who died?

And it does seem like the set up is solely to convince us that there is only one way Molly could have gotten pregnant.

That's exactly what's so clumsy about it. They've contrived an absurd situation whose only reason for existing is to justify a plot point, so that it has no reason for existing in-story. And that makes it a blatant bit of authorial manipulation.

To be fair, it was only a partially solo mission. There was an AI onboard, just not one with a body (as far as we know). So it wasn't like she was completely alone. Doubly so considering she had an AI child at home, so she was used to dealing with them as real people.

But a disembodied AI couldn't provide as much redundancy as a live human -- nor could it provide the same protection for her psychological health. Humans need the proximity and companionship of other humans. It's not good for our brains to be without it. We evolved as a social species and that's what our psychology is adapted for.

 

[Professor Zoom]

I didn't say or imply that it would be a solo interplantetary/interstellar mission. I sad they might be testing it to see how they would handle taking turns being in some kind of hibernation during the trip. If something serious happens, or some sort of deadman switch is involved, the rest of the crew could be awoken prematurely.

If that's what they were testing... then they could've said that.
Still, it would be a dumb way to test.

Ultimately, my point is: they didn't bother. It's clear that it's just so they could have their premise. And as Christopher said, it's clumsy. And it didn't have to be.

Solo missions also happen all the time in Television Land. Buck Rogers and John Crichton, just off the top of my head, both say hello.

I can't remember why Buck was on a solo mission, but Crichton was in near Earth orbit testing an engine, as I recall. Hardly a 13 month solo mission. It was a test flight. Still, it might stretch credulity a bit, but 1. It's still in the realm of believable and 2. they actually explain why he's there by himself.

Also, they didn't exactly explain much of anything about anything going on in the show, with the sole exception of why they had an AI kid. And even that was only partially explained.

Mystery upon mystery. I get that. But, why she was up there by herself, at least the reason SHE as told, isn't a mystery. It's context, it's exposition.

If they can't be bothered to give the context of their story.... how do you think they are gonna be with the actual mystery?

In other words, I don't trust the writers. I don't think I'm in the hands of good story tellers.

 

[Sto-Vo-Kory]

This was just the pilot episode. Maybe we'll get more answers and solid explanations in further episodes. It seems like the producers were trying to introduce the mystery (a locked-room pregnancy) as simply as possible without scaring away a broad audience with scenes of long-winded exposition justifying a solo space mission. Maybe episode two is nothing but a 3D power point presentation from Halle Berry about why a solo space mission is a valuable expenditure for corporations to make in future-ish times. We'll soon find out.

 

[Professor Zoom]

This was just the pilot episode. Maybe we'll get more answers and solid explanations in further episodes. It seems like the producers were trying to introduce the mystery (a locked-room pregnancy) as simply as possible without scaring away a broad audience with scenes of long-winded exposition justifying a solo space mission. Maybe episode two is nothing but a 3D power point presentation from Halle Berry about why a solo space mission is a valuable expenditure for corporations to make in future-ish times. We'll soon find out.

Really? You think I'm asking for a long winded exposition scene?

I'm basically asking for a line or two.

"You were up there exploring the effects of intense isolation, I'm surprised you didn't go mad."

I'm sorry if you are upset I didn't like the show, but I didn't. The purpose of a pilot, ANY pilot, is to make you excited enough to watch the next episode. This didn't make me interested enough to finish it.

Also, to be frank, just because it's sci fi, doesn't mean I'm gonna watch it. I want to be engaged. And I wasn't. Ultimately, it might be a nit pick, but personally, it speaks to a larger thing. I don't trust the writers.

 

[Owain Taggart]

I was also really confused by the scene with the Yasumoto (Hiroyuki Sanada's character) waking up from hibernation or whatever he was in. It seemed like something that should be significant, but there was no real explanation or even hints as to what was going on there. It just seemed random at this point.

Yeah, I agree. Hopefully we'll get an explanation for it in a future episodes, but so far, there have been many bits introduced that feel out of context like that one. Maybe they're working towards a reveal of why things like this are done. Hopefully. Everything we've learned about the world so far has been through visual cues, and this one seems like it should be a big factor.

And that solo mission, I agree seems far too dangerous, even for something fictional. Maybe they were hoping for HAL err sorry BEN, to be a sort of backup should something go wrong. But the crew of Apollo 13 were 3 people and they barely got out of it alive. Should something catastrophic happen, she'd be dust. There should always be planned backups in space missions. That's just common sense. This on the other hand feels like they've thrown caution to the wind.

Unless you're Mark Watney, you don't stand a chance.

 

[Professor Zoom]

I have to say, I have a great mistrust of mystery shows. Especially when there's a core mystery. Most times they just keep pushing the answer down the road, because once they solve it, they have no more show. They are stretching what was probably a movie pitch or a novel into something that is supposed to go on for years. I'm thinking of Lost, Flash Forward, Under the Dome

Execution can certainly help, but, for me, when the core of your story is a mystery and you don't want to answer it for years.... then I find that frustrating.

I would rather either see 1. the core mystery solved rather early on, revealing something else or 2. no core mystery (we know it's an alien baby) and just get to the implications of that.

I think Babylon 5 did a really good job of answering questions, which lead to more questions and a deeper understanding of its universe. I remember Defying Gravity, and I was, just reveal what's going on so we can get on with the story.

I guess what I'm trying to say: if you're holding back the reveal because you want the show to go on forever and forever, it's going to be felt by the audience, as a delay, as halting the natural flow of a story--especially when you don't know how long you just might be on the air.

 

[Avalon]

Didn't they say that the reason she was doing a solo mission was because the previous two-man mission had gone so badly, resulting in at least one death?

I don't recall any attempt to assert a cause and effect there, and even if there had been, how would that make even the tiniest bit of sense? If it was dangerous to send only two people, wouldn't it be even more dangerous to send just one? Wouldn't it be safer to send an even larger crew, so there'd be more people to help an endangered or injured member and, if the worst happened, more people to take the place of a crew member who died?

Not if it was the second astronaut who killed him.


Of course, we know that astronaut isn't really dead. (Or is he? Maybe the guy who contacted Molly isn't really her friend, but one of the aliens or a robot or a humanich. Maybe their son isn't really the first...) So how does that even work? And they haven't mentioned the status of the other astronaut at all -- "dead", too? In quarantine? In jail? In their corporate dungeon/secret testing site somewhere?

I miss the days of getting a two-hour pilot movie for a series. I feel like that was what they needed here -- some time to flesh out all the things they just vaguely threw out in the first hour. (Did they mention "the robot wars" at some point, too?) As it is, there's just not enough detail to set the hook.

 

[Christopher]

I don't recall any attempt to assert a cause and effect there, and even if there had been, how would that make even the tiniest bit of sense? If it was dangerous to send only two people, wouldn't it be even more dangerous to send just one? Wouldn't it be safer to send an even larger crew, so there'd be more people to help an endangered or injured member and, if the worst happened, more people to take the place of a crew member who died?

Not if it was the second astronaut who killed him.

No, then it's definitely better to send more people, because then you have more people who can see something like that coming and intervene to prevent it.

Not to mention that the risk of being killed by a fellow crew member is minute compared to the risk of being killed by a meteoroid impact, a solar flare, a life-support malfunction, or any of a bunch of other hazards. And you could definitely use the help of other astronauts in those scenarios.

I miss the days of getting a two-hour pilot movie for a series. I feel like that was what they needed here -- some time to flesh out all the things they just vaguely threw out in the first hour.

Now, that I agree with. Whatever happened to those?

 

[DWF]

I miss the days of getting a two-hour pilot movie for a series. I feel like that was what they needed here -- some time to flesh out all the things they just vaguely threw out in the first hour.

Now, that I agree with. Whatever happened to those?

Defiance last year had a two hour premiere and Dominion had a 90 minute pilot. But due to costs two hour pilots are rare, Buffy had a mere 30 minute pilot that never aired.

 

[Owain Taggart]

I have to say, I have a great mistrust of mystery shows. Especially when there's a core mystery. Most times they just keep pushing the answer down the road, because once they solve it, they have no more show. They are stretching what was probably a movie pitch or a novel into something that is supposed to go on for years. I'm thinking of Lost, Flash Forward, Under the Dome

Execution can certainly help, but, for me, when the core of your story is a mystery and you don't want to answer it for years.... then I find that frustrating.

Definitely agree. At the very least, if they're going to go that way, have something that can be answered within a season to go along with the core mystery so that people can have something to look forward to, because it certainly does no good if the show is cancelled and we have no resolution to the core mystery.