The more I think about the first episode since it aired Tuesday, the more I find myself getting frustrated that the show didn't do better at posing what could and should have been some worthwhile questions. Rather than explore issues of mass delusion and media manipulation, the episode all too quickly devolved into formulaic conventions and a regurgitation of the tired "Battlestar Galactica" game, "Who's a Cylon?" I'm not interested in playing "Who's a Visitor?" I'm interested in further discussion from the two priests about the significance and repercussions of First Contact. For the record, I'm also not interested in taking an entire episode's subplot worth of time to explain the "sleeper cell" concept and that a mom and her teenage son have a strained relationship. These are necessary ingredients to what appears to be the "V" recipe, but they're mixed in the wrong amounts.Things likely would have started better had the pilot episode been a two-hour (rather than one-hour) presentation. That would have given the writers and actors more time to develop their characters before the chaos began. But it is what it is. And as such, I'm not sure whether I'll be back for more.
1 comments:
I'm a little surprised it was only one hour as well (or at least to be continued or something). And you know a big part of this show is going to be the "who's a Visitor" game. It worked well in Battlestar, and TV producers don't like to take too many risks.
Now, hopefully, they will get more into the ideas of media manipulation and mass delusion, as well as the heart of the question the reporter asked (about the ugly Visitors - which is an aspect of media manipulation, as well as an understanding of human psychology to some extent, even given the 5th column they've had on Earth for years). The elements of the First Contact situation intrigue me a bit more then the media and the delusion elements personally, I'm hoping to see more of that as well. I'm worried though that they skipped too much time to really bring some of that home. We'll see.
I'm probably going to tune in a bit longer, as I'm a sucker for kill the alien resistance movement stories in general, but I'm hoping for a bit more to it then just that as well.
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