I liked Fringe right off the bat. Defying Gravity lacks something that I can't put my finger on. I think that it doesn't really know what direction its going in.
On Sat, Sep 19, 2009 at 4:34 PM, Keith Johnson <keithbjohn...@comcast.net>wrote: > > > I listen to the podcast of a weekly scifi show called "Slice of SciFi". The > gang there says that "Defying Gravity" has gotten really good. They were > decidedly lukewarm on it when it premiered. Indeed, they're exhorting > everyone to watch, comparing it to "Fringe", which they also initially > didn't like, but which has really grown as a show. > I do like seeing Malik Yoba doing something besides gospel plays and the > like (not that there's a thing wrong with those). > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Tracey de Morsella" <tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com> > To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Saturday, September 19, 2009 7:26:53 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern > Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Resending for Tracey: "Defying Gravity" on ABC > now > > > > A few weeks back, my blog traffic jumped dramatically and I started > getting obsessed with getting it even ranked higher. During that time, I > did not read many posts on scifinoir. Anyway, I am watching the five > episodes they have online this weekend. I kind of like it, but I see why it > will not take. It’s kind of a slow mystery, space opera. Not a big > audience for that type of thing > > > > *From:* scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:scifino...@yahoogroups.com] *On > Behalf Of *Keith Johnson > *Sent:* Saturday, September 19, 2009 4:20 PM > *To:* scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com > *Subject:* [scifinoir2] Resending for Tracey: "Defying Gravity" on ABC now > > > > > > > Tracey, > > I sent the below back on the day the show premiered. I was so-so on it, and > then lost touch (usually watching "Army Wives" with my wife). Checking my > old messages, I see there were a couple dozen posts about the show over the > next week or so. > > keith > > > ----- Forwarded Message ----- > From: "Keith Johnson" <keithbjohn...@comcast.net> > To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Sunday, August 2, 2009 10:13:45 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern > Subject: [scifinoir2] "Defying Gravity" on ABC now > > > > Anyone watching ABC's entry into the "Big Brother in Outer Space by way of > BSG-style drama"? It deals with a seven-year mission in the year 2052 that > sends eight astronauts to visit six planets in the Solar System. Very > quickly into the show, we're made aware there's some kind of secret > involved. The two most experienced astronauts in the program (one of whom > is played by Malik Yoba) are initially left off the mission aboard the > spaceship "Antares". Later, when some kind of heart problem keeps cropping > up among the crew--evidently tied to the "secret"--the two astronauts are > blasted into space to join the mission. One comment I overheard makes me > think some kind of sentient race has been encountered by humanity--perhaps > on a previous tragic mission to Mars in which one of the current astronauts > had to leave three of his fellows behind. Perhaps this sentient race is > controlling the mission somehow? Not sure. > > Also not sure yet if I'll like the show. It has some decent actors and > decent lines. But just when I'm starting to get into the mission and the > scifi aspect of it, I'm distracted by overpowering music that attempts to > heighten a scene, the lead astronaut's self-reflective monologue, too much > of the newly-hot camera work (a la BSG and Star Trek) with a shaky cam to > convey reality. Or I'm watching two astronauts make nekkid love in zero g > and feeling vaguely manipulated at an attempt to make me feel awestruck or > something. There's a lot of flashbacks and flashforwards that make > following the story a bit confusing at times. "Lost" this ain't. There's > also a odd flow: a mix of serious drama, melodrama, camp soap opera type > moments, silly humour supported by "Desperate Housewives" type music, and a > lot of titillation. It makes it hard for one to get a feeling of the overall > nature of the show. Is it a drama, a r eality-type show like "Virtuality", a > mystery? Don't know, but I found myself losing interest a lot, then picking > it back up, then losing it again as the standard nighttime soap feel comes > back in the mix. > > Lots of TV veterans, including the blonde lady from "The 4400" (the one who > feel inlove with a black man), and Cristina Cox "Blood Ties", who's been a > guest in more series than Michael Michelle. They're all okay, but again, the > uneven pacing, writing, and flashbacks undermine their acting. The constant > shift from a high-tech spaceshp to mundane scenes on Earth are abrupt and > off-putting. > > Like "Virtuality", this show seems to be another clone that tries to copy > the delicate balance of reality-type drama mixed with scifi that BSG > (mostly) did right. and like "Virtuality", it bores me as much as it > intrigues--something that BSG didn't do in the main. > > Not sure if the show's even being picked up, but if it is, not sure I'll > keep watching. > *Anyone else's thought's?* > > * > > > * > > ** > > > > > -- Bringing diversity to perversity for 9 years! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
