Whoa, boy. Here we go again.
Another doomed alien shoot’em-up sci fi invasion adventure human interest drama vehicle thingy destined to pull us in and ultimately disappoint us ala The Event or Heroes or … well, you name it.
Or is it? You may be surprised. Falling Skies promises something not expected. And not only does it do that, it delivers.
I got a hint of what it was all about during a preview at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con as well as some spiffy back and forth courtesy of Noah Wyle (ER) and Moon Bloodgood (Terminator Salvation, et al) at the panel Q&A session. Interestingly, there was a smarmy air about Wyle I couldn’t put my finger on as he told what he could about the show. It was Mr. Wyle who was the first thing about this new TNT series which made me sit up and take notice, surprising as I was never a fan of him or of ER.
For those of you not fortunate enough to have been at Comic-Con for the panel, the obvious question is this: “What is it about Falling Skies that will hook me?” No spoilers here, but I will state there’s less emphasis on the sci-fi (*glares in the general direction of the SyFy network*) and more on the human element (this isn’t news, folks) in a different manner than programs such as, say, V works into itself. There are those of you out there intrigued by such a prospect and — as one of those people myself — it’s something well worth being anticipatory about. And that intrigue will start right off the bat with the premiere, picking up not at the alien invasion but 6 months down the line with the hangers-on well into survival mode.
I want this mechanism of storytelling to work right off the bat. I want it to set up successive episodes crisply and cleanly and leave me clamoring for more. I already have my answer as to whether this happens or not, but I leave it to the viewer to discover this on his or her own. Having seen several episodes of the series already I have inklings where it’s going. It will be fun to see if what I believe aligns with what others think and how it ultimately rolls out.
And let me tell you something: It ain’t The Event.
So is this another “Here we go again” science fiction vehicle? No. It isn’t. That’s why I’m ready to do this thing.
Yeah, I know: this sounds awfully familiar to what I predicted in my review of The Event last year. But the producers of Falling Skies have the benefit of time on their side and will have learned from that program’s mistakes. *fingers crossed*
Let’s get to gettin’.
Clacked by Michael Noble 
on Jun 16, 2011 @ 15:00 EST5EDT
I’m really looking forward to this. I’m quite desperate for more sci-fi on television.
Let’s hope this one doesn’t burn up in flames upon re-entry. I was very disappointed in The Event.
Fingers are crossed, though after watching the pilot, they are crossed a little tighter, because I think they need to be.
But I’ll be here Sunday night with a review of the first episode :)
Caught the pilot (2 hours) and the 3rd episode and am completely underwhelmed. It’s just more of the same-old-same-old. I haven’t yet found anything to look forward to. These people have no “plan” other than to, I dunno, migrate around. In a way it’s like Walking Dead — people out to survive against aliens that have taken over the planet — but there’s no play or outlook for what they want to do to rid the planet of that problem.
I guess this is good summer fluff, but nothing to go huddle around the water cooler to talk about every week.
Do you hear that? That’s the sound of my bubble bursting!
I was much nicer :)
*POST AUTHOR*
. . . . .
Cripes, Keith! Don’t hold back!
In light of the fact I kept back the spoilers, I’m not going to address the things you mentioned above. I’ll come back and jaw about them after the premiere on Sunday.
Wasn’t the show already picked up for a second season? So there is at least that.
Why does every sci-fi show come back to “Join the Resistance”?
This is why the movie District 9 was a breath of fresh air.
It isn’t that it is a too frequently used trope, it is a frequently SCREWED UP trope.
It is why V was so good, and it is actually one of the things I did like from the Pilot … The Resistance would be made of relatively average Joes :)
I assume you’re talking about the original V?
I do think “resistance/rebellion” is too frequently used. I was thinking not only of the V remake but of many other sci-fi shows/movies… the humans vs the Terminators, the humans vs the Cylons, the Maquis/Bajorans vs the Cardassians (I almost wrote Kardashians), the Browncoat rebels vs the Alliance (yay, Firefly week), the Na’vi vs the humans, the humans vs the zombies/aliens/predators/machines/vampires/apes/corporation/killer tomatoes, etc. etc. etc.
I brought up District 9 because it went in quite the opposite direction, portraying the aliens as the oppressed rather than the oppressors. I’m not saying I want a depressing anti-human story – just something more original than another “join the resistance” retread.
Yes. I thought “V” and “good” in the same sentence clarified that :P
No, I hear you, but respectfully disagree. I didn’t watch DS9, so I can’t speak to ST’s use of the trope. On Firefly it was more of a Civil war than an Invasion/Resistance.
“The Resistance” storyline is much deeper than the examples you gave (I just don’t feel they were related, other than probably the Terminator franchise). When we’re talking about this storyline, stories like Red Dawn and the original V are what are brought to mind. Fiction about the actual French Resistance in WWII, as well. Your culture has been invaded by another, and yours is in danger of being erased. There’s no zombie movie/story that I’ve ever seen that come closes to that tone. Zombieland/Dawn of the Dead is not Red Dawn.
I hated District 9 though. While the story was original, I found it incredibly boring. I know I’m pretty much alone in that assessment, but I definitely wanted my money back when I left the theatre.
When in doubt, I wait for my library to get the DVD. :-) Saves me a lot of money and disappointment.
I guess I’m thinking in broader terms than you are. I’m thinking of 1) how many times I’ve heard the words “the resistance” used in science fiction and 2) how many sci-fi shows and movies involve (at some point) a group of survivors/rebels coming together to fight a greater force that is oppressing or destroying them. The answer to both 1 and 2 is – MANY.
I guess I don’t watch shows that i don’t like or get bored with, so I really don’t have that problem :)
Though, the new V series NEVER got there … It might have THOUGHT it was there, but alas, no. Maybe with the way the series ended they were finally getting to a real resistance, but we’ll never know.
(I had to check out D9 in the theatres. It was getting so much buzz, so I had to see what it was about. Plus, “big” movies like that are always better on the big screen.)
I really enjoyed ABC’s Invasion back in 2005 (is that a “few” or “several” years ago?). It really built up to a great cliffhanger … and then it was cancelled. At least the season/series finale of V had a sense of finality to it. Well, we can only hope this all ends better than Spielberg’s War of the Worlds.