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Continuum S2E2 ‘Split Second’ Review!

Apr 292013

Roger Cross as Travis Verta

After viewing the second episode is this season of Continuum I have finally managed to find an episode that I honestly didn’t like. Just like season one’s weakest episode ‘Playtime’ this episode, entitled ‘Split Second’, is a bit out there… However, ‘Split Second’ is too convoluted and has too many arbitrary twists and turns to make it a really enjoyable showing.

Split Second follows two storylines. The first is about Kiera and Carlos escorting Travis to a new prison after he killed six prisoners. Now, everyone knows that the trip won’t be without incident but I wasn’t expecting remotely controlled machine guns and helicopters. While all the shooting is going on agent Gardiner is questioning Kiera’s loyalty. He saw her survive the bombing from the season 1 finale by using her suit and suspects she might actually be working for Liber8. From his superiors he gets little help. Indeed the person that vouched for Kiera, the mysterious Escher, is apparently the head of Section 6. Which is the agency that Kiera says she works for. Gardiner also mentions that Escher has something to do with Piron, and that happens to be a corporation mentioned in 2077.

Erik Knudsen as Alec Sadler talking to Kellog

In the end Garza manages to free Travis by betraying Sonya and Lucas. The two of them known they are on their own and flee before Garza and Travis can reach the hide-out. In upcoming episodes it will be interesting to see which pair manages to continue Liber8′s efforts in 2013.

The second storyline involves Kellog coaxing Alec in joining into a partnership. Kellog believes that with his business acumen and Alec’s tech skills they could be very rich very quickly. After several moments of doubt Alec agrees to the partnership. It thus remains to be seen whether Alec will help Kiera stop Liber8 like he has done in the past.

Victor Webster as Carlos Fonnegra

Conclusion…

While giving you this quick overview of ‘Split Second’ you might think that it is quite straightforward. The actual 43 minutes are however quite tedious. The dialogue takes ages to get anywhere and the plot development is predictable because they are so shallow. For the first time since the pilot I have absolutely no idea where this show is going. That might be a positive thing to some but I believe it also endangers viewer empathy towards the characters.

The only good thing about this episode is that were finally getting to learn more about each member of Liber8.

Score; 6.5 / 10.

Stephen Lobo as Kellog & Erik Knudsen as Alec Sadler making a deal

Source; http://www.showcase.ca/continuum/

Revolution renewed for second season – NO JOKE!

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Apr 272013

Yes, its true… NBC has officially renewed their supposed ‘flagship’ for another season. Personally this gives me mixed feelings. Revolution is an OK show and I certainly don’t want to see any sci-fi series get cancelled. However, there are plenty of things wrong with Revolution that would make we doubt anyone is really interested in a second season. I can almost imagine the show being wrapped up confidently after just one season. The opposite of ‘Lost’ if you get my drift.

Another reason that makes this announcement very odd is that Revolution has been steadily dropping in the ratings. The ratings were never high to begin with. Sure the second half of season 1 feels like it wants to draw in a larger audience but in terms of quality it has been two steps forward and than one step back. Hardly a confident move on the part of the creative staff. The show of course is shown on NBC so that prevents it from using Game of Thrones gimmicks to boosts its audience. That has shown in the ratings, which despite the partial reboot has dropped below 6 million for the first time.

On Monday Revolution will be back with its 15th episode ‘Home’. The season should end on June 3rd with its twentieth episode. Season 2 is slated to have 22 episodes. However, despite this formal announce the show can still be cancelled if ratings do not improve.

PS; the upcoming episode will delve more into the background story of Aaron (Zak Orth). I am certainly game.

Source; http://www.nbc.com/revolution/

Defiance – Episode 3 review & Episode 4 preview!

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Apr 272013

Finally I am here with a review of the third episode of Defiance. It won’t be a full review but I will at least discuss the most salient details. I will also give a short preview of the fourth episode ‘The Devil In the Dark’ that will air Monday evening.

Episode 3 Recap…

The third episode ‘Down In the Ground Where the Dead Men Go’ takes off were the pilot stopped. Datak is punishing one of his fellow Castithan for fleeing from the battle with the Volge. The episode sees continued efforts to prevent the man public execution. Despite Joshua’s and Irisa’s attempt Datak finally murders the man and leaves him on the doorsteps of the sheriff’s office.

Jaime Murray nude as Stahma Tarr - Defiance

Jaime Murray as Stahma Tarr

Meanwhile Ben has been woken from his coma by a fellow conspirator who urges him to finish the job by destroying Defiance. Ben makes his way to the McCawley mines and blows up the entrance after himself. According to McCawley he is heading to old St. Louis which was largely preserved intact despite the major terraforming events of the war. Quickly it is deduced that Ben intends to blow a nuclear facility to contaminate the mines that are the raison d’etre of Defiance. Ben is eventually stopped, but Joshua fails to question him as Ben forces McCawley to shoot him.

The third plot line involved the feud between Datak Tarr and McCawley. Now that a wedding between their respective son and daughter is planned they have all sorts of personal issues to take care off. McCawley’s daughter can’t stop arguing with her father and Datak’s son Alek is continuing his efforts at being the spoiled brat who doesn’t care about anything. It falls on Datak’s wife Stahma (Jaime Murray) to try and fix the various problems in order to further hers and Datak’s agenda.

Ben being awoken

There are furthermore some other minor plot lines but I won’t spoiler them here. Defiance certainly has the ability to be epic in the sense of personal relationship, similar to The Borgia’s. So missing episodes might be problematic in the future.

Conclusion.

The third episode of Defiance is the first one in which we get a glimpse of how the show’s format will look like. In my opinion it is similar to Continuum with a fast pace and multiple partially independent plot lines woven together. I think it works, but it can still be a lot better. Some of the characters so far seem a bit wooden and familiar, especially one the McCawley side of the story. The character of Stahma Tarr is quickly becoming my favorite. Jaime Murray really knows how to carry the character, next to Grant Bowler I think she is the heart of the show.

Stahma (Jaime Murray) topless / nude soothing her son Alek

Stahma (Jaime Murray) soothing her son Alek – Defiance

Stahma Tarr seems to oddly enough fit the setting perfectly were as other characters seem very much out-of-place. Like the pilot this episode has a scene with Datak and Stahma enjoying their private Castithan bath. It is an effective way of allowing the two characters to plot their next move while also giving Defiance that little bit of Game of Thrones with the semi-nude setting. I hope the scene will be a staple in Defiance.

The special effects in the third episode are fewer than in the pilot. That is in itself not unusual (Eureka, Lost and Continuum), so at least viewers are not distracted by the fakeness. The old St. Louis was recreated rather effectively. So if every episode has a similar outing I think it could work very well. Why the old St. Louis isn’t occupied by the people of Defiance is a bit of a mystery to me.

Defiance still needs to find some solid ground in my opinion. The characters of sheriff Joshua Nolan and his daughter Irisa seem oddly unsettled in Defiance, something many fans have remarked upon.

Score; 7.5 / 10. Solid, but the many nagging details drag it down.

Luke’s secret

Episode 4 Preview…

The fourth episode of Defiance is called ‘The Devil In the Dark’ and will yet again take our characters out of Defiance and into the surrounding area.

Here is the synopsis…

A horde of Hellbugs attack the town of Defiance. In order to stop them, a search party is sent out on a mission to find and destroy the central source of the Hellbugs.

Here is the preview trailer…

And some preview stills…

Tony Curran as Datak Tarr and Jaime Murray as Stahma Tarr

Stephanie Leonidas as Irisa

Grant Bowler as sheriff Joshua Nolan

Source; http://www.defiance.com/en/series/

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3 Blu-Ray Review!

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Apr 252013

Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) assimilated as Borg

Finally the third season of Star Trek TNG has arrived on Blu-ray. Fans have been waiting for this season ever since the Blu-ray release scheme was initially announced. As despite the first two season having their moments in the sun it is the third season that finally allowed The Next Generation to mature. This was largely due to a change in the creative staff with people like Gene Roddenberry and Maurice Hurley being kicked to the curb and being replaced by Rick Berman and Michael Piller. It also saw the return of Gates McFadden as Doctor Crusher, though fans were sad to see Diana Muldaur go. In this review I shall discuss whether the season still holds up after almost 23 years and if it is worth buying.

Vash played by Jennifer Hetrick

Cast…

Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
Jonathan Frakes as Commander William Riker.
LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge.
Michael Dorn as Worf.
Marina Sirts as Deanna Troi.
Gates McFadden as Doctor Beverly Crusher.
Brent Spiner as Data.
Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher.

Enterprise and Klingon Bird of Prey

The Next Generation season 3….

Fans generally agree that the third season of The Next Generation was a bit of a reboot for the series. A few of the shows creative staff were dropped and the emphasis was placed more on conflict, both on a personal and a galactic level. The advantage of all that is that the season feels polished, the disadvantage is that some of Gene Roddenberry’s principles were let go. The third season as such didn’t see any male and female crewmembers wear the unisex skirt uniform. Instead the show focused a little bit less on issues such as gender equality and started catering more to the adolescent youth market (boys) by showing a bit more skin in episodes such as ‘Captain’s holiday’ and ‘Ménage a Troi’. Some might say that the rot that ended Enterprise started with this season. Personally I think that is not true because both Voyager and Enterprise could have been changed for the better if there was the will power to do so. Season 3 for all intends and purposes feels like a better package, a season that tried to squeeze the Star Trek concept to see what was possible!

Worf stands before the Klingon High Council

Suggested episodes to cherry pick…

First I will discuss two personal favorites and then three that fans have come to form an agreement on.

Hollow Pursuits; this episode introduces the recurring character of Lt. Barclay played by Dwight Schultz. The episode was intended as a spoof of fans of Star Trek as the creative staff believed they were far too vested in their fictional world. The episode is memorable because it introduces the recurring character of Reginald Barclay, a man who is a genius but flawed on a personal level. Previously this type of character was confined to non-Enterprise characters. The episode id memorable for its mix of humor and drama but not for its special effects.

Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby) taking command of the Enterprise-C

Captain’s Holiday; this Picard-centric episode takes place mostly on the planet Risa, known for its almost hedonistic attitude to comfort. Picard must battle aliens from the future while pursuing his archeology hobby. He also develops a romantic interest with Vash, a female bounty hunter. This episode developed the rule that all Picard-centric episodes are just brilliant!

Yesterday’s Enterprise; this episode sees the return of Denise Crosby as Tasha Yar when the Enterprise travels into a alternative universe in which the Federation is at war with the Klingons. Denise Crosby would later be able to play Sela due to this episode. Yesterday’s Enterprise also stands in contrast with its militaristic visuals which I think might have inspired the 2003 Battlestar Galactica remake.

Elizabeth Dennehy as Commander Shelby

Sins of the Father; this episode continuous the story of Worf’s family disgrace that allowed the character to grow into a fan favorite during the fourth and fifth season. The episode is remarkable as it is the first to show the Klingon home-world. The season 2 episode ‘A Matter of Honor’ was confined to a Klingon ship. The storyline of Worf and his family’s past would later on be woven together with the return of Sela, the daughter of Tasha Yar, as a consequence of what happened in Yesterday’s Enterprise.

The Best of Both Worlds Part 1 (and Part 2); the season 3 finale is probably the best remembered episode of Star Trek. It certainly wasn’t afraid of pulling punches as is evident with Captain Picard being assimilated into the Borg Collective. Well, at least this time you will be spared the agony of a season cliffhanger as this disc also includes season 4′s opener The Best of Both Worlds Part 2!

Denise Crosby as Tasha Yar

Visuals.

I guess after reviewing the first season of Enterprise on Blu-ray I must have been spoiled because the return to the good old 4:3 aspect ratio certainly caught me by surprise. Despite the disappointing choice of ratio during this time in TV history the actual important aspects such as coloring, sharpness and special effects are nothing short of exquisite. The first two seasons of Star Trek TNG were good but with season 3 the show’s cinematography really diversified. At first I was reluctant to watch the first episode of the season, ‘Evolution’, as it is regarded to be mediocre. However, I found I actually liked it better, now that I could see all the facial expressions properly, thus giving viewers a broader impression of emotion. This sense of realism really carries season 3 into a new realm.

However, sometimes there are some artifacts or blurry faces that distract just a bit too often for them to be ignored. Also the HD transfer does make it often evident that were watching sets constructed in a studio. Similar criticism was recently directed at the first Hobbit movie because it used a higher frame rate. Here it is a question of too much realism.

Audio.

The audio of this transform is top-notch, though otherwise featureless. It is simple stereo sound as is custom from circa 1990. For the Blu-Ray transfer it has been recorded as DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1. Meaning it is as crisp as it can be but you wont be hearing the enterprise flying through your room from left to right.

The Enterprise and the Borg Cube

Extra’s.

The box-set is completed with a long list of extra’s. As I mentioned in the Enterprise season 1 review, few people buy a Blu-ray/DVD box-set for the extra’s. I think that with internet and multitudes of wiki’s the information contained within these short docu’s is already known to most fans of the show. The most important documentaries are…

Mission Overview: Year Three; which discusses the third season of the TNG in general terms. Though there is some new material there is plenty of stuff used from old interviews that make it feel too much of a rehash.

Selected Crew Analysis: Year Three; this documentary talks about the changes to the characters in season 3. Despite the season doing more in this field than any other it too feels a bit superfluous as you can watch all the changes by viewing the episodes. It’s a bit of fluff to be honest.

Departmental Briefing, Year Three: Production; this documentary show what happened behind the scenes to make season 3 happen. It discusses anecdotes with the creative and production staff and thus gives us an overview of what it takes to make 26 episodes if Science fiction circa 1990. No easy task apparently. This documentary is by far the most interesting, but I wouldn’t buy a Blu-ray set for it to see it.

Overall, the extra’s are OK for someone who wants to know more about the background of Star Trek. Both for fans there is little new to peek their interests. The Blu-ray release contains a few extra’ not mentioned such as commentaries and crew logs, but they fall under the standard fare!

Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Risa

Conclusion.

For 77.99 (at the time of writing) you will really get one of the greatest sci-fi seasons of any TV show you can buy. The HD quality adds considerable depth to the acting and the viewer experience. Viewing the entire contents of the Blu-ray box set may seem superficially familiar yet I felt it was also something completely new. Unlike the two previous seasons there fewer ‘bad’ episodes and more ‘brilliant’ ones that make it so memorable. No word yet on when season 4 will be released but expect it to arrive sometime early July. Of course you can already watch two episodes. The first is the season opener Best of Both Worlds Part 2 found in this box set. The second is the episode Inner Light released as part of the Blu-Ray promotional release last year.

Score; 9.5 / 10. A very polished Star Trek outing, though some original TNG ideas were dropped.

Brent Spiner as Data

[Show as slideshow]

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Revolution ‘The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia’ Review!

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Apr 242013

As there is much to see on TV these days I will just write a mini review of Revolutions latest episode. As the title may spoiler the episode finally takes us to the Georgia Federation were President Foster (Leslie Hope) holds the scepter. Rachel and Aaron meanwhile make their way to the Rocky Mountains but stop by an old acquaintance who reveals more secrets about the nanites.

Billy Burke as General Miles Matheson

The plot outline for ‘The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia’…

Paranoia strikes Monroe deeply as Neville disappears and word reaches him that Jason is with the rebels. Miles, Charlie and Nora infiltrate the Georgia Federation to chase the nuclear device, which Monroe has had Miles’ former protégé Alec plant in Atlanta, the federation’s capital. During a battle, Alec tells Charlie to ask Miles what he did to Rachel. Miles is captured by Georgia police and turns out to have had a personal relationship with Georgia Federation president Kelly Foster, who ultimately frees him to find Alec. Miles kills Alec just as Monroe orders Alec to detonate the nuke. Meanwhile, Rachel locates her former co-worker Dr. Jane Warren (Kate Burton), who reveals that the nanites kept Danny and keep her partner Beth alive through their cancer-eating abilities.

Leslie Hope as President Foster

Jane believes that Rachel only wants to restore the power because Danny has died. However, at Beth’s urging, she provides Rachel with information that will permit her to turn off the nanites if she reaches the Tower. After the nuclear weapon has been disarmed, President Foster offers Miles command of an army made up of 200 soldiers from the Georgia Federation to help the rebels open a second front within the Monroe Republic.

Flashbacks; Seven years after the blackout, Miles gives Alec a “lucky” knife from Miles’ father and grandfather, which he tells Alec to pass along to his own son, when he has one. Nine years after the blackout, Miles has his troops turn Alec over to Texas after Alec’s attempt to assassinate the Texas leader failed and the leader could identify Alec.

Tracy Spiridakos as Charlie Matheson

Conclusion….

My personal feelings towards this episode are that it is probably the first ‘great’ episode of Revolution. I’ll bet readers have wanted to read that for like 13 episodes now. Revolution’s latest really manages to increase the scope of the series by including not only the Georgia Federation, but also a lot more on the background of Miles Matheson (Billy Burke) and associated characters. I would almost describe the scope as epic. That said, the episode is rife with inconsistencies related to the Revolution Mythology. We were told to believe that nobody could travel to Europe and now President Foster states that she does active trading with Europe and the British in particular. The death of Maggie in episode 4 thus loses impact as she thought she had no chance of ever seeing her children again. The only other major problem is that the plot with the nuclear bomb is resolved too quickly.

Miles greeting his friend Alec

Where as Revolution was before too slow it now moves too fast. In one episode Miles and Charlie manage to travel to Atlanta and find the nuclear bomb that Monroe had sent and destroy it. Ohhh, one more thing. Why would Monroe send it by foot soldiers if he also drops warning leaflets by helicopter? Can’t you just toss the bomb out of the helicopter?

The revelation that the Monroe Republic is weak economical is also a bit confusing, as the audience were led to believe that they are very organized.

Some fans have kept up the criticism of Tracy Spiridakos as Charlie, but I think her performance is just fine. In this episode I have a bigger problem with Elizabeth Mitchell as Rachel Matheson, her performance or at least her character is far too emotional.

Score; 8.5 / 10.

Continuum Season 2 Premiere ‘Second Chances’ Review!

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Apr 222013

Greg Cameron (John Reardon) in 2077

Second Chances is the first episode of Continuum second season. Continuum is a sci-fi TV-series produced by Showcase, but Syfy channel will also air the episodes starting on June 7th. Continuum stars Rachel Nichols as from the future CPS Protector Kiera Cameron who has teamed up with detective Carlos Fonnegra (Victor Webster), a cop from the present. Together they fight the terrorist group Liber8 as it seeks to prevent a future ruled by corporations.

Travis Verta’s implant restarts his heart

The plot outline of ‘Second Chances…
Following the events of the season 1 finale, Kiera decides to work on the edge of the law, getting support and resources from her friends at Vancouver P.D., while keeping their hands clean of her tactics. Alec is at odds over the death of his step father, arrest of his step brother, and the (still unknown) message from his future self. He moves in with some buddies, gets a job at a Memory Express hi-tech store, and refuses to answer Kiera’s calls. When Vancouver’s mayor is assassinated, Kiera works with her former police department partner, Carlos Fonnegra, eventually getting Alec to call her and help out. She vows to confront and destroy Liber8, and its growing band of 2013 followers, to preserve the future. We finally learn what message Alec 2077 sent to Alec 2013 – he regrets his part in helping the corporate-dominated future unfold, and only Alec 2013 (with help from Kiera and with Liber8′s 2013 societal influence) can rectify the problem.

Kiera Cameron (Rachel Nichols) discussing time travel with young Alec Sadler

Conclusion…
The first episode of Continuum’s second season is effective in giving it a new vibe. All characters seem to be shaken by events from the first season finale. The episode also brings back some of the violence of the first season but this time it seems to be better integrated into the plot (the shooting of Travis Verta and the mayor).
Yet, this episode is also confusing. Some of the facts that were known about Liber8 have been subtly altered to make them seem more menacing. The plot line where by Alec is shaken by the message from the future seems out of character and his scene with his mother seems rather forced.

Kiera analyzing the shooting with her CMR

Despite this and other slights I think this episode is very effective in getting season 2 started. If we were to compare it with Revolution’s return after the mid-season break than I think Continuum did a lot better. There were no cheats (helicopter with Gatling gun missing Billy Burke and Tracy Spiridakos) or random returns to status quo (Major Neville escaping), Continuum simply had to do a lot in 43 minutes that led to the episode having some issues. I do applaud the creative staff for keeping such a fast pace. It means this show can pretty much go anywhere it wants.

William B. Davis as the old Alec Sadler talking to his younger self

One storyline that was only touched upon was Kiera having nightmares in the 2077 timeline before the events of the time-jump. Kiera blames her CMR for them. Her husband Greg (John Reardon) seems to think that the older Alec Sadler (William B. Davis) is behind it as Greg views his flying mansion with suspicion. As such this plotline will offer us more possibilities of visiting 2077 and discover what exactly the older Alec Sadler wants to achieve with time-travel.

Score; 8/10. Good season opener that is a bit rough around the edges.
Source; http://www.showcase.ca/continuum/

Young Alec Sadler (Erik Knudsen) in his not so fancy lair

Continuum season 2 starts on Showcase tonight!

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Apr 212013

Tonight on Showcase Continuum will be back for its second season with the episode ‘Second Chances’. For those who don’t subscribe to Showcase, Syfy will start airing it from June 7th onward. Syfy Channel for that matter seems to have adopted Continuum as a show of its own. Season 1 may be best considered a rough diamond whose edges need to be smoothed. As it has been a somewhat disappointing year for Science-fiction on TV I am excited with Continuum’s attempt at boldly going were few shows dare to go.

Here is a preview of tonight’s episode…

Second Chances continues immediately were the season 1 finale left off. So I may suggest another viewing of that episode.

Here is a small synopsis of tonight’s episode…

Downtown Vancouver is in ruins after Kagame’s suicide bomb attack at City Plaza. Alec Sadler gets a game-changing email from his future self saying it was him who sent Central Protective Services cop Kiera Cameron and terrorist group Liber8 65 years back in time for a reason. A devastated Kiera goes underground, becoming a vigilante helping out the city’s downtrodden. But when Vancouver’s mayor is suddenly assassinated, Kiera realizes she must rejoin the police department and her partner, Carlos Fonnegra to find the murderer. That she must confront and destroy Liber8 and its minions to preserve the future for her husband and young son, once and for all…or die trying. But she can’t even get a hold of Alec, who is beyond-spooked at the shock email.

As for season 2, from the preview it seems that the creative staff have certainly remedied some of the rough edges of season 1. I am sad that the wonderful character of Kagame (played by Tony Amendola) is dead. However, as it is a time-travel show we might yet see him again. The origins of terrorist group Liber8 still need to be explored further.

Though already introduced in the season 1 finale, Nicholas Lea’s character Agent Gardiner will play at least a recurring role in season 2. Agent Gardiner of course saw Kiera (Rachel Nichols) use technology from the future. It will be exciting to find out how that will unravel in future episodes.

Be sure to make your way back to SciFiEmpire.net tomorrow for the review of ‘Second Chances’.

Source; http://www.showcase.ca/continuum/

Defiance ‘Pilot’ Review!

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Apr 162013

Defiance is Syfy’s latest TV-show and it didn’t come a moment too soon. Syfy has been accused of ignoring its roots in favor of reality TV. Despite a rather slow start to Defiance I do think that this show has a lot of potential.

Julie Benz as the mayor of Defiance

Defiance…

The pilot episode as such deals mostly with the characters of Joshua Nolan and his foster daughter Irisa Nyira as they try to reap benefits from Arkfalls. After Irisa is wounded they seek help in Defiance. Before long both are involved in the towns intrigue and Joshua finds himself protecting the town from a swarm of onrushing robot aliens. In the end he becomes the town’s sheriff with Irisa as his deputy. Nuff said really. I suggest you go view the pilot yourself if you want a recap.

Defiance – the votans are coming

Conclusion…

While watching the pilot of Defiance I could really see the influence of Farscape on it’s characters and settings. Defiance’s creator Rockne S. O’Bannon has a talent for writing witty dialogue that stings while not being rude. He also manages to include sexuality into his characters in such a fashion that they are very much defined by it. As such he doesn’t have to go down the road like many HBO (Game of Thrones) or Starz (Spartacus) TV-series. In fact, so many other shows such as Da Vinci’s Demons and The Borgia’s include violence, gore, bad language and nudity that it is quickly becoming the new standard. Mostly it does manage to add a sense of realism and wit to the afore mentioned shows but I find it refreshing that Farscape managed to same thing 13 years ago but in a much more subdued fashion. As Defiance is on Syfy I am not sure what the plans are in the future as Syfy can’t be the only cable network that won’t show violence, gore and nudity.

Grant Bowler as Joshua Nolan and Stephanie Leonidas as Irisa Nyira – Defiance

The pilot episode of Defiance itself is fine but it’s length is too long. It could have easily been reduced in length by 20 minutes. Of course all the characters need to be properly introduced and for the most part they are! The plot twists that allow Grant Bowler’s character Joshua Nolan to become sheriff of Defiance are a bit predictable and improbable. In fact the premise for this sequence of events seemed eerily similar to last years Terra Nova pilot or even Eureka. Some of the special effects in the pilot are also terrible. The space battle seems to predate the Battlestar Galactica remake and the CGI cars and structures look dated. I am not sure where this show wants to go but it could be that it will be stuck in Defiance for the most part.

Jaime Murray as Stahma Tarr

Despite the pilot suffering from a number of issues I do believe that this show has a lot of potential. The scene is definitely set for lots of intrigue similar to The Borgia’s. The potential depth of the Defiance universe when it comes to technology, races, characters and places can easily rival shows such as Star Trek and Babylon 5.

Score; 7.5 / 10. Hardly the worst pilot I have seen but nowhere near as good as it could have been.

First Continuum Season 2 Trailer Online!

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Apr 122013

Well, the wait is almost over! Starting April 21st Continuum will be back for its second season on Showcase. Syfy viewers will have to wait until June though. For season 2 there is now an official teaser trailer featuring most of the principal cast.

A central theme of the promo trailer seems to be how present actions can influence the far future. Season 1 sort of left this in the air with the young Alec Sadler (Erik Knudsen) stating that there were only two possibilities. 1. The future is whatever you make of it, actions thus have direct consequences. 2. The present as we know it has already happened and nothing can be altered. Later on in the season there were subtle indications that there might be a third option in that Kiera (Rachel Nichols) was stuck in a parallel universe.

In any event, the promo trailer certainly shows off the intense possibilities. Check out the trailer below!

My personal hope is that the future timeline will also be explored more. Season 1 had plenty of flash-forwards that depicted what the world of 2077 is like but it still only gave glimpses.

Continuum also stars Victor Webster as Carlos Fonnegra. Lexa Doig as Sonya Valentine and Stephen Lobo as Kellog. William B. Davis guest stars as the future Alec Sadler.

Source; http://www.blastr.com/2013-4-12/mysteries-deepen-and-action-amps-1st-trailer-continuum-s2

Syfy Channel developing 7 new sci-fi series!

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Apr 102013

These days the only thing the Syfy Channel is good for is a good bashing. After killing of Alphas, Eureka, Caprica, Farscape and Stargate Atlantis who can blame me. Now it appears that the people at Syfy believe the company should get back to it’s root. They have announced the production of 7 new series. It is not clear whether all seven would actually air on the Syfy Channel or that they are produced for other channels as UPC and several other cable channels seem involved.

After reading the impressive list below I can’t help but feel overwhelmed. Isn’t it a bit too much! We got Continuum and Defiance on Syfy and several other shows cooking on other networks and there is only so much attention fans can put into them. I already feel Lost (no pun intended). That said, there have been a number god awful shows lately that seemed vaguely inspired by Warehouse 13 in that they were underdeveloped and just dammed boring. Zero Hour and Alphas most notably. Some of the synopsis below read as though they can go either way! So there is still much work to be done!

High Moon is described as an imaginative, out-of-this-world series exploring what happens when the countries of Earth establish colonies to mine the Moon’s resources and discover a new form of life. Chaos erupts in a genuinely emotional, humorously thrilling and always unexpected fashion as the people of the Moon race to uncover this life form’s powerful secrets. Co-executive producer/writer: Jim Danger Gray (Pushing Daisies). Executive producer/writer: Bryan Fuller. The pilot is written by Gray from a story by Fuller and Gray. Executive producers: Cary Granat & Steve Granat of Reel FX and Don Murphy & Susan Montford of Angry Films. Studio: UCP.

Orion – In this space opera Orion, an adventurous female relic hunter, tracks down valuable artifacts while trying to piece together her past. Set amidst an intergalactic war pitting humans against a terrifying alien race, Orion must decide whether to use her abilities to save herself or commit to the cause and unearth long hidden artifacts that could free all of humanity from a horrible fate. Executive producers/writers: Ron Milbauer & Terri Hughes Burton (Alphas). Co-executive producers: George Krstic & Ryuhei Kitamura. Supervising producer: F.J. Desanto. Studio: UCP.

Sojourn — The first detective ever in space is tasked with investigating a murder on a starship — headed to colonize another planet – and instead becomes embroiled in a vast conspiracy involving a mysterious terrible crime dating back to the original launch of the ship 50 years ago. Writer: Phil Levens (Smallville). Producer: Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity). Studio: Lionsgate.

Clandestine – After a clan of bandits are nearly destroyed and left for dead by Coalition forces, they take refuge in the nearest safe haven, a derelict Coalition starship floating in space. Once onboard, they masquerade as Coalition officers while continuing their criminal ways – until they stumble upon a shocking realization about the true nature of the Coalition. Writers: Todd Stashwick & Dennis Calero. Executive producers: Gale Anne Hurd (The Walking Dead) and John Shiban (Hell on Wheels). Studio: UCP.

Infinity – When an alien armada is sighted in the region of Pluto, the Earth government turns to a young billionaire industrialist — who has the only ship ready for interstellar travel — to greet the aliens and avoid a catastrophe. Powered by secret alien technology discovered on Earth in the 1960’s, the ship engages in a firefight that sends them spinning through a wormhole into an uncharted region of space. Lost in the universe, the team struggles to survive as they encounter new planets and alien species, searching for a way back home. Writer: Javier Grillo-Marxuach (Lost). Producer: Berman/Braun Television. Studio: Universal Television.

Silver Shields – When his father is slain by assassins connected to the government of the large nearby city of Pont Royal, farm boy Caymer journeys there to continue his father’s legacy as a member of the local police force — and to solve the mystery of his father’s death. He discovers that his simple country view on life is at odds with the big city, filled with orcs and other magical creatures. Executive Producer/Writer: Robert Hewitt Wolfe (Alphas). Producer: Aaron Kaplan. Studio: UCP.

Shelter – A massive meteorite is headed toward Earth, forcing 30,000 hand-picked humans to live underground in a government funded shelter in order to start a new society. What begins as a Utopia quickly succumbs to the old human faults and jealousies as certain members of society create alliances to gain favor and power. Meanwhile things on the surface are not what they seem. Humans slowly realize that this event may have been fated and the survivors meant for a greater purpose in rebooting life on Earth. Executive Producer/Writer: Bruce Joel Rubin (Deep Impact) and co-executive producer/writer Ari Rubin. Studio: UCP.

Source; http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/syfy-prepping-space-dramas-jason-436862

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