Terra Nova: 1x05: "The Runaway" - Discussion/Spoilers

[Sindatur]

So, I was out of town until last night, and thought I missed an episode this week, and I checked On Demand last night and this morning, and no episode. I looked on IMDB, and it appears they skipped this week.

Can anyone confirm they didn't air an episode this week?

 

[Jetfire]

@Sindatur Baseball. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/20...esults-are-confused-by-local-football/108364/

 

[Sindatur]

@Sindatur Baseball. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/20...esults-are-confused-by-local-football/108364/

Thanks

 

[AviTrek]

By the fifth episode of Lost, I was fully hooked on the show. I've bailed on Terra Nova. It is absolutely nothing like Lost and not even passably tolerable. So if you didn't like Lost, you certainly aren't going to like this drivel.

This is the best description in this thread of why this show is unwatchable:

Ugh, I'm starting to reach my limit on sappy, generic storylines.

You can really sense the potential here-- with a cool premise, some great intrigue, a couple of badass actors in Lang and O'Mara-- but all we get are these tired plots that feel ripped from a cheesy 90s syndicated show.

And even though there's a whole planet of prehistoric wonders to explore, we're stuck in this little Disney Channel family camp watching teenagers flirt and husbands get jealous.

I would love to see a "flashback" episode of Taylor comming through the portal and surviving on his own. That would be a neat thing to behold.

That's the one and only topic that interests me. I'll keep track of these threads in case they ever bother to do it.

You know reading these reactions, I wonder if Star Trek could even succeed on TV anymore. I find the best description of Terra Nova is Star Trek: Dinosaurs. Sure it's not ground breaking, but I'm ok with vanilla sci fi on occasion. I think people need to stop deciding what they think the show should do and rejecting it because it doesn't match their imagination. Instead accept the show as is and just enjoy the ride.

 

[Beagleman]

You know reading these reactions, I wonder if Star Trek could even succeed on TV anymore.

No, it couldn't, thats why there isn't any.

 

[Starkers]

By the fifth episode of Lost, I was fully hooked on the show. I've bailed on Terra Nova. It is absolutely nothing like Lost and not even passably tolerable. So if you didn't like Lost, you certainly aren't going to like this drivel.

This is the best description in this thread of why this show is unwatchable:

Ugh, I'm starting to reach my limit on sappy, generic storylines.

You can really sense the potential here-- with a cool premise, some great intrigue, a couple of badass actors in Lang and O'Mara-- but all we get are these tired plots that feel ripped from a cheesy 90s syndicated show.

And even though there's a whole planet of prehistoric wonders to explore, we're stuck in this little Disney Channel family camp watching teenagers flirt and husbands get jealous.

I would love to see a "flashback" episode of Taylor comming through the portal and surviving on his own. That would be a neat thing to behold.

That's the one and only topic that interests me. I'll keep track of these threads in case they ever bother to do it.

You know reading these reactions, I wonder if Star Trek could even succeed on TV anymore. I find the best description of Terra Nova is Star Trek: Dinosaurs. Sure it's not ground breaking, but I'm ok with vanilla sci fi on occasion. I think people need to stop deciding what they think the show should do and rejecting it because it doesn't match their imagination. Instead accept the show as is and just enjoy the ride.

I think unfortunately these days there are so many shows/channels out there that people will jump ship if something isn't super and brilliant right from the start! Which is a shame, as I think there is a place for sci-fi fluff, something you can watch and enjoy with your brain turned off (and Terra Nova certainly fits that criteria.)

I think the days of a show not getting really good till the 2nd or 3rd season are over. I guess it doesn't help TN that it's clearly had a lot of money spent on it, and has Spielberg's name attatched.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

By the fifth episode of Lost, I was fully hooked on the show. I've bailed on Terra Nova. It is absolutely nothing like Lost and not even passably tolerable. So if you didn't like Lost, you certainly aren't going to like this drivel.

This is the best description in this thread of why this show is unwatchable:





That's the one and only topic that interests me. I'll keep track of these threads in case they ever bother to do it.

You know reading these reactions, I wonder if Star Trek could even succeed on TV anymore. I find the best description of Terra Nova is Star Trek: Dinosaurs. Sure it's not ground breaking, but I'm ok with vanilla sci fi on occasion. I think people need to stop deciding what they think the show should do and rejecting it because it doesn't match their imagination. Instead accept the show as is and just enjoy the ride.

I think unfortunately these days there are so many shows/channels out there that people will jump ship if something isn't super and brilliant right from the start! Which is a shame, as I think there is a place for sci-fi fluff, something you can watch and enjoy with your brain turned off (and Terra Nova certainly fits that criteria.)

I think the days of a show not getting really good till the 2nd or 3rd season are over. I guess it doesn't help TN that it's clearly had a lot of money spent on it, and has Spielberg's name attatched.

Sci-fi fluff doesn't cut it on network TV. That's why things like Warehouse 13 and Sanctuary air on cable.

 

[AviTrek]

You know reading these reactions, I wonder if Star Trek could even succeed on TV anymore. I find the best description of Terra Nova is Star Trek: Dinosaurs. Sure it's not ground breaking, but I'm ok with vanilla sci fi on occasion. I think people need to stop deciding what they think the show should do and rejecting it because it doesn't match their imagination. Instead accept the show as is and just enjoy the ride.

I think unfortunately these days there are so many shows/channels out there that people will jump ship if something isn't super and brilliant right from the start! Which is a shame, as I think there is a place for sci-fi fluff, something you can watch and enjoy with your brain turned off (and Terra Nova certainly fits that criteria.)

I think the days of a show not getting really good till the 2nd or 3rd season are over. I guess it doesn't help TN that it's clearly had a lot of money spent on it, and has Spielberg's name attatched.

Sci-fi fluff doesn't cut it on network TV. That's why things like Warehouse 13 and Sanctuary air on cable.

I would argue the exact opposite. Terra Nova is doing its best to prove that bland vanilla sci fi with pretty FX can get high enough ratings on network TV to survive. It's the niche conspiracy/mythology shows that the people complaining expect that can't survive on network TV.

 

[davejames]

I would have been fine with a bland Terra Nova-style show back in the 80s or 90s. But writers like Whedon and Moffat have just raised the bar way too high for that now, at least for me.

With all the incredibly witty and inventive stuff they're doing, I just have a hard time sitting through generic stuff like Stargate, Smallville, or Warehouse 13 anymore.

"Light and fluffy" thankfully doensn't have to mean dull and generic anymore.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

By the fifth episode of Lost, I was fully hooked on the show. I've bailed on Terra Nova. It is absolutely nothing like Lost and not even passably tolerable. So if you didn't like Lost, you certainly aren't going to like this drivel.

This is the best description in this thread of why this show is unwatchable:

Ugh, I'm starting to reach my limit on sappy, generic storylines.

You can really sense the potential here-- with a cool premise, some great intrigue, a couple of badass actors in Lang and O'Mara-- but all we get are these tired plots that feel ripped from a cheesy 90s syndicated show.

And even though there's a whole planet of prehistoric wonders to explore, we're stuck in this little Disney Channel family camp watching teenagers flirt and husbands get jealous.

I would love to see a "flashback" episode of Taylor comming through the portal and surviving on his own. That would be a neat thing to behold.

That's the one and only topic that interests me. I'll keep track of these threads in case they ever bother to do it.

You know reading these reactions, I wonder if Star Trek could even succeed on TV anymore. I find the best description of Terra Nova is Star Trek: Dinosaurs. Sure it's not ground breaking, but I'm ok with vanilla sci fi on occasion. I think people need to stop deciding what they think the show should do and rejecting it because it doesn't match their imagination. Instead accept the show as is and just enjoy the ride.

If I "accepted" every bad show on TV and dutifully watched it, I wouldn't have anything to do BUT watch TV! I don't have time to watch everything I want as it is.

I love these shows and watch them almost immediately after they air: American Horror Story, Sons of Anarchy, Pan Am, The Walking Dead and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

I watch these sometime after they air, usually within a week: Once Upon a Time, Off Limits, Person of Interest, Nova and Nature.

I've given up on keeping up with these and I'm just letting them pile up on my DVR for some big rewatch maybe in December when everything else is on hiatus: The Clone Wars, The Vampire Diaries.

And soon Grimm and Hell on Wheels will join the party. If I like both of those, I have no idea how I'm going to fit them into my schedule. Meanwhile, I'm keeping a nervous eye on my DVR which very well could hit 100% before I get a chance to clear it out.

Terra Nova just doesn't make the cut. If there were fewer good shows on TV (and no Netflix - I've had to cut back to the 1x level just because I can't keep up with more DVDs either), I'm sure I'd be more tolerant of mediocrity. But if I don't need to be tolerant, why should I be?

I've also bailed on Revenge, Ringer, The Secret Circle and Death Valley after sampling each (as well as The Playboy Club, which has been cancelled anyway). Why don't you bitch at me about that, too?

And if Star Trek were only as good as Terra Nova, I'd rather not see it on TV at all. It would be far too disappointing. (I think it could do very well, but it would have to be on cable, and also a lot better and more aimed at a grownup audience than Terra Nova.)

I think unfortunately these days there are so many shows/channels out there that people will jump ship if something isn't super and brilliant right from the start!

Why is it a "shame"? Do you want people to spend their whole lives watching TV? I'm kind of ashamed to admit how much I do watch, but there's a lot of very good stuff and it's hard to resist. I'm actually relieved when I see a new show and realize that there's no need for me to keep it on my DVR list.

I can enjoy brainless twaddle but Terra Nova doesn't have the entertainment value to be good twaddle. American Horror Story - now there's some great twaddle!!! If Terra Nova were depraved, savage and completely hilarious like that show (and with dino's, that wouldn't be hard), it could be very entertaining but I doubt any broadcast network would touch it.

 

[Sindatur]

Ooh, Pan Am, that looked interesting with it's 60s setting/vibe. How many episodes have aired for it? I may look that up on On Demand to get caught up and see what I think of it.

 

[Jetfire]

Temis TVD is probably shaping up to be better than S2. Even though you will catch up with it later...don't understand why you bothered in the first place...you watched S1 & 2...S3 has been an improvement so far given how S1 started and then finished strong...same with S2...I would say S3 has had a stronger start than S1 & S2.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Temis TVD is probably shaping up to be better than S2. Even though you will catch up with it later...don't understand why you bothered in the first place...

I bothered in the first place because people like you nagged me!

I just got kind of bored with the whole Klaus thing...don't worry, I won't delete the episodes unless they really really bore me. At the worst, I can just skip thru them to see what the upshot is with Stefan, which I'm still fairly curious about.

Ooh, Pan Am, that looked interesting with it's 60s setting/vibe. How many episodes have aired for it?

I can't remember, four or five maybe by now? It's very classy and beautiful looking and I find the whole cast very engaging.

Be warned that the ratings aren't rock-solid, but it looks like ABC may be rallying around it, and they might be able to use Once Upon a Time, which debuted with solid ratings, as leverage to boost Pan Am's viewership too.

 

[Jetfire]

I bothered in the first place because people like you nagged me!

I do hope you enjoy it when you pick back up with S3.

 

[Sindatur]

Twilight Sparkle, some shows are more enjoyable watching in marathon fashion, rather than only getting 1 installment a week. I think VD is like that personally. Soem weeks, it's really a bummer that you have to wait another full week (or more) for the next episode. I'm watchign it weekly, but, sometimes, I do considering just recording them each week, and waiting to watch them all at once (Though, that would get in the way of my Doctor Who marathoning (Up to Colin Baker now, after having watched Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, and Hartnell since Spring). Still have to get what Troughton is available, but, I have everything else

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I think most if not all shows are better as marathons, particularly the complex serialized ones like Sons of Anarchy where it's easy to forget crucial details week to week.

The main reason I don't save up everything to marathon them is if I just can't wait to see the show every week. Also, I'd miss out on the weekly discussions here.

Ironically, this means the shows I like best are the ones I watch in the least-optimal way.

 

[Jetfire]

People can watch what they like in the most convenient way possible.

Temis Wrote:

I've given up on keeping up with these and I'm just letting them pile up on my DVR for some big rewatch maybe in December when everything else is on hiatus: The Clone Wars, The Vampire Diaries.

Maybe I was just taking issue with Temis putting TVD on the back burner. I enjoy TVD & TSC week to week...I have enough shows like Terra Nova I catch up with a week later or more. No worries.

 

[Sindatur]

I think most if not all shows are better as marathons, particularly the complex serialized ones like Sons of Anarchy where it's easy to forget crucial details week to week.

The main reason I don't save up everything to marathon them is if I just can't wait to see the show every week. Also, I'd miss out on the weekly discussions here.

Ironically, this means the shows I like best are the ones I watch in the least-optimal way.

Yup, and that's where your "I've already seen it, why would I need to watch it again, when there's so much new stuff to watch" policy does you an injustice. Some shows, Babylon 5, for instance, were made specifically for re-watchability, because there's so much set up in S1 (And throughout the 5 seasons) that you miss because you didn't know what was coming. a Second (or 50th, even) viewing allows you to see those things and go "Dang, it was there out in front, the whole time and I never saw it until we got there 2 years later"

But, other shows, that don't have all that setup stuff to discover are also fun, to rewatch via marathon.

Most stuff I watch, I burn to DVD for future watchings (Plus, my mom doesn't have cable, so lots of stuff I can loan to her, that she'd never see otherwise, such as Falling Skies, which she really enjoyed)

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I don't like to rewatch stuff as much as other people do.

However, sooner or later, Farscape and DS9 will go onto a rewatch list. I've already got Farscape queued up in Netflix, but with 300 DVDs in my queue, and me only getting one-DVD-at-a-time, that's not happening anytime soon...

 

[cylkoth]

I don't like to rewatch stuff as much as other people do.

However, sooner or later, Farscape and DS9 will go onto a rewatch list. I've already got Farscape queued up in Netflix, but with 300 DVDs in my queue, and me only getting one-DVD-at-a-time, that's not happening anytime soon...

Should've kept the streaming plan. Mwuhuhuhahaaaa...