Terra Nova 1x03 - 'Instinct' (Grade/Discuss) SPOILERS

[RJDiogenes]

This was a decent, if standard, adventure episode. The characters were better, but still bland, which is a big problem.

The big question is, if they've only got thirteen episodes and they've set up at least three mysteries, why are they not dealing with them? Time's a wastin.'

 

[Ryan]

The episode wasn't bad but it is kinda strange they'd take big budget, spectacle television and give it such a generic plot. At this point it feels very much like another Land of the Lost remake.

 

[Trekker4747]

We have only seen 3 hours of TV out of this show but so far, the teenage son Josh has grown up considerably.

Maybe. Or maybe last week he was "un-characteristically" petulant so we can have the Father vs Son bit. So his character has only grown so much as he's not acting like he did last week.

]Maybe I don't know instinct very well, but will moving the colony once really overcome generations of instinct?[

Some species of modern-day birds only require one-year of bad experiences along their migratory path to change it.

 

[Chris_Johnston]

Soooo, nobody's wondering why the Slashers are no longer worth worrying about when going OTG?

 

[Locutus of Bored]

We have only seen 3 hours of TV out of this show but so far, the teenage son Josh has grown up considerably.

Maybe. Or maybe last week he was "un-characteristically" petulant so we can have the Father vs Son bit. So his character has only grown so much as he's not acting like he did last week.

A lot of his petulance for me hinges on the accuracy of his rebuke to his father about how if he hadn't fought the officers searching their house they "may have only had to pay a fine."

It hasn't been followed-up on on the show, but that claim seems rather dubious to me considering the fascist-like tear the room apart three-man search of their home (implied to have happened before) and the fact that they weren't even going to let the family take their youngest child to Terra Nova when a) They didn't think the father would be going (so still a "family is four" situation), and b) there's no population explosion issue at Terra Nova.

If the kid is right about the fine being likely however, that does make his father look like an overreacting douche who got sent to prison for six years for assaulting cops over a fine-able offense that shouldn't have been a big deal given his wife was apparently fairly well-to-do financially according to Taylor. That's pretty irresponsible and would justify the kid's anger. It also seems to fit his other hotheaded behavior in the pilot episode.

So, that could go either way for me.

 

[AviTrek]

• Maybe I don't know instinct very well, but will moving the colony once really overcome generations of instinct?

Yes, there is no genetic memory that says go to location X. The instinct is to return to where you were born to breed. Once the next generation is born, they will return to breed at the new location because that is where they were born.

What I don't understand is why the species only breeds every 9 years. I can understand taking 9 years to reach maturity, but the entire species shouldn't be on the same 9 year cycle. There should be some portion of the species that reaches maturity and goes to breed every year.

 

[RAMA]

Finally watched it on DVR. Most of the episode did seem generic, but I did like the fact that these supposedly careful colonists...who are trying to avoid previous human environmental folly as much as possible...accidentally set up camp in a breeding ground of a species that wasn't around at the time...it rings true and possible.

The show is not wowing me yet, but I'm going to stick with it longer. Voted avg this week.

RAMA

 

[Vendikarr]

Poor Josh, should he bone Sky or wait to see if future girlfriend will ever show up.

Of course he should bone Skye. That assures that his old girlfriend from the future will show up to complicate his life.

 

[sojourner]

I want some answers on how developed the colony is. Do they have a manufacturing base of any kind? If not it seems short sited not to be developing one. Someday "future earth" is going to stop sending stuff.

What is the population of the colony? how many people per wave? how many waves will be sent?

Are they actively exploring? Will we see any explorer teams? Will we get an over view of where on Pangea (assumed based on opening credits) the colony is located?

Has future earth sent them any helicopters or other aircraft besides the surveillance/weather balloons?

They need to show us more of the colony than a few houses and the market. There should be warehouses, vehicle bays, the aforementioned industry. If the colony is still taking on new people eventually it should grow beyond the nice picturesque "ring" we see. Maybe they could show us the beginning of an additional "ring" for future waves to inhabit.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

We have only seen 3 hours of TV out of this show but so far, the teenage son Josh has grown up considerably.

Maybe. Or maybe last week he was "un-characteristically" petulant so we can have the Father vs Son bit. So his character has only grown so much as he's not acting like he did last week.

A lot of his petulance for me hinges on the accuracy of his rebuke to his father about how if he hadn't fought the officers searching their house they "may have only had to pay a fine."

It hasn't been followed-up on on the show, but that claim seems rather dubious to me considering the fascist-like tear the room apart three-man search of their home (implied to have happened before) and the fact that they weren't even going to let the family take their youngest child to Terra Nova when a) They didn't think the father would be going (so still a "family is four" situation), and b) there's no population explosion issue at Terra Nova.

If the kid is right about the fine being likely however, that does make his father look like an overreacting douche who got sent to prison for six years for assaulting cops over a fine-able offense that shouldn't have been a big deal given his wife was apparently fairly well-to-do financially according to Taylor. That's pretty irresponsible and would justify the kid's anger. It also seems to fit his other hotheaded behavior in the pilot episode.

So, that could go either way for me.

Just chalk it up to incoherent writing. You could make a case for a "society at war with itself" that would deal with a merely fine-able crime by acting like Nazi's (one branch of the gubmint thinks that extra kids should be a slap on the wrist, and another thinks that it should mean off to the salt mines?) but that's a lot of effort to go to, for a show that doesn't deserve it.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Some perspective on the ratings.

Terra Nova is in the middle of the FOX pack. That might be bad news, considering the budget, but it's also a buzzworthy show that is unlike anything else in its lineup. The closest is Fringe, and that's on its way out.

 

[Trek4Ever]

I'm just trying to figure out why these dopes set up a colony in the middle of a dino infested jungle. Surely they must've had time to do some recon or at least clear out the animals or find an area not as populated with dinosaurs to make life easier!

 

[Mach5]

You guys wanna know the story outline of the next episode?

Spoiler: S01E04

When Elisabeth, Jim, Malcolm and Taylor investigate radio silence at a nearby scientific outpost, they discover an outbreak of a mysterious virus causing memory loss, paranoia and eventually death. The group must work together to find a cure before they lose their sanity and all of Terra Nova is infected.

Seriously, Brannon? The series barely even took off, and already you're doing a

Spoiler: S01E04

mandatory-virus-outbreak-season-filler

?

Goddammit, man...

 

[Forbin]

Yeah, I'm gonna skip this week's episode. I've seen enough amnesia virus stories (Warehouse 13 just did one this season!).

It's almost like he still thinks he's writing Voyager eps.

 

[davejames]

Ugh. I was one of the few who loved the premiere, but this second episode was just completely forgettable. It was completely lacking in the scope we saw before, the little dino birds never came across as truly threatening, and the conflict between the two guys wasn't interesting in the slightest.

And while next week's looks a lot better, the amnesia thing really makes me question the storytelling direction of this show. What's next? Evil twins?

 

[Mach5]

What's next? Evil twins?

A Body snatching entities episode, a Groundhog Day type temporal loop, two characters who can't stand each other get stranded and cut-off, then getting to know each other... There's a lot to choose from the Brannon Braga syfy cliche repository.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I'm just trying to figure out why these dopes set up a colony in the middle of a dino infested jungle. Surely they must've had time to do some recon or at least clear out the animals or find an area not as populated with dinosaurs to make life easier!

Because the whole planet is a dino-infested jungle at this point in its history, I guess. Why would there be any area that is less populated with dangerous animals? Nature abhors a vacuum. Supposedly, there were even dinos living at the poles (in snow!)

 

[Candlelight]

What's next? Evil twins?

...a Groundhog Day type temporal loop...

Ok, I'll admit it... I love both of those cliches...

 

[Mach5]

Ok, I'll admit it... I love both of those cliches...

I did too... Some 15 years ago.

 

[The Wormhole]

What's next? Evil twins?

A Body snatching entities episode, a Groundhog Day type temporal loop, two characters who can't stand each other get stranded and cut-off, then getting to know each other... There's a lot to choose from the Brannon Braga syfy cliche repository.

Me, I'm wondering how long before we get "The Naked One." You know, a re-telling of The Naked Time, which was already re-told in TNG with The Naked Now. Hell, every Trek and most prominent si-fi franchises eventually churn out this episode.

Who do we think will prance about shirtless waving a sword around?