Terra Nova: Did It Live Up To the Hype?

Coming into the new season of fall television one of the most anticipated premieres was the new FOX show Terra Nova. With Steven Spielberg listed as an executive producer and the large amounts of money being spent on it many people were hopeful that it would be the new must see show. The two hour series premiere aired on Monday and I think that it has great potential.

Terra Nova begins in the year 2149 on an Earth that is on the brink of destruction from pollution and overpopulation. Thanks to a rift discovered in the space/time continuum groups of people are being sent to an alternate reality 85 million years in the past. These people are attempting to start over with a settlement called Terra Nova. The show follows the story of Jim Shannon and his family as they go on this journey to the past.

I feel I have to mention that there are more than a few similarities to the show LOST. I almost felt like the creators were among the group of LOST fans who believed the smoke monster was a dinosaur and this show is the result of their disappointment when that proved to be incorrect. Just in the pilot we were introduced to mysterious symbols, a group of “others” they call the Sixers, and the hint of a secret agenda among the people funding this initiative (yes, I used that word intentionally). Not to mention the jungle setting and the fact that the actor who plays Jim Shannon looks a little bit like Matthew Fox. If the show is able to create compelling plots and sympathetic characters, I will be able to overlook its derivative start. Right now I am on the fence about whether or not it will be able to do this.

Most of the characters are, at the moment, common prototypes. Jim is your stereotypical cop; his son Josh is an angry, rebellious teenager; Mira, the leader of the Sixers, is hard and humorless; and Commander Taylor, the leader of Terra Nova played by Stephen Lang, is nearly identical to the character he played in Avatar. In spite of this I found many of the characters to be likeable. I really liked Jim’s wife and his two daughters, and I am intrigued by Commander Taylor and Mira. I understand that it takes time for a new show to introduce and develop its characters, so I will give it the benefit of the doubt for now.

In spite of the similarities to LOST, the mysteries introduced were interesting enough that I want to find out the answers. Why did Commander Taylor’s son run away and what do the equations he is writing on the rocks mean? What is the secret agenda of the sponsors of Terra Nova that Mira alluded to? How much does Commander Taylor know and is he trustworthy? Who are the Sixers working for and what are they trying to accomplish? It was very smart of the show to introduce these questions as early as they did. I worry that the danger presented from living amongst dinosaurs is going to lose its effectiveness before long. The show will need to have other avenues of conflict to keep it interesting and these questions should fulfill that role.

In the end, Terra Nova did not leave me on the edge of my seat with excitement, but it did whet my appetite. I am curious enough to want to tune in again and optimistic that it will improve as it progresses. Ever since LOST ended there has been a void that many have attempted to fill. I believe that Terra Nova has the potential to fill that void as long as it allows itself to become its own thing rather than just a LOST with dinosaurs.

What about you? Did you watch the two hour pilot? What did you think of it? Was it too derivative or was there enough originality to set it apart? Let me know in the comments!

 

New Season, Renewed Glee

Here in Florida we are still wearing shorts and sweating as soon as we walk outside, yet I know Fall has arrived. The only reason I know this is because the new seasons of Fall television have begun. As I mentioned in a previous post one of my favorite television series is Glee and it was my most anticipated premiere. After a very uneven second season I was hopeful that the show was going to get back on track based on several comments made by show creator Ryan Murphy. As 8:00 rolled around the night of the premiere I could scarcely sit still I was so excited and by the time it was over I knew my faith had been rewarded.

There was so much jam-packed into “The Purple Piano Project” that it took me several viewings to be able to take it all in (episode synopsis available here). Arguably the biggest, and most controversial, event was Blaine’s transfer from Dalton Academy to McKinley High. I for one was thrilled with this change. Klaine (Kurt & Blaine) is my absolute favorite couple on the show and anything that allows me to see more of them together is a good thing. As much as I enjoyed Blaine performing in the Dalton Glee Club called The Warblers I just didn’t see how they would cohesively fit into the plot with Kurt no longer a part of the group. Moving Blaine to McKinley made the most sense. From what I have observed the main outcry against this move was the excuse given – that Blaine didn’t want to go through the school year apart from Kurt if he didn’t have to. I was okay with this. Blaine made up his own mind and did what he felt was best for him. I truly felt that if he had decided to stay at Dalton, Kurt would have accepted that and moved on. I don’t think that he manipulated Blaine into the transfer at all.

In the latter part of the second season a wonderful friendship had begun to blossom between my two favorite characters, Rachel and Kurt, and that friendship has thankfully carried over. I adored every scene with the two of them. Their performance of “Ding-Dong the Witch is Dead” was a highlight of the show. It was just so joyful and fun. You could see the comraderie between the two of them as they flitted around the stage. When they were faced with the harsh reality that there are many others just as talented as they are whom they will be competing against for college the resultant scene in the car was touching. I loved watching them commiserate in shared sorrow and then build up and encourage one another. It was a lovely picture of the true love found in friendship.

I am interested to see how things play out within the New Directions as they have gotten quite a shake up. It seemed clear from Finn’s outburst that he feels at least somewhat threatened by Blaine which could lead to some interesting conflict since he and Kurt are stepbrothers. I am still in shock that Santana actually got kicked out of the group and yet, while I was sad to see her go, it was good to see that she finally faced some consequences for her underhanded behavior at Sue’s behest. The only thing I can think of for her motivation in helping Sue is her desire to cover up the secret of her sexual orientation and maybe she thinks that being a Cheerio is a better way of doing that than being a member of Glee. Whatever her motives, however, I really hope it gets worked out soon so that she is back among the New Directions. Similarly, I don’t see Quinn’s rebellion lasting long. I think she really wants to be back in Glee as evidenced by her looking in on them during “You Can’t Stop the Beat”.

In the end “The Purple Piano Project” got me very excited for Glee‘s upcoming season. Even though I did not discuss everything from the episode I am looking forward to seeing how all of it plays out. I am hopeful that this season is going to be the best one yet and will give the graduating seniors a worthy send off.

As a side note, if you are interested in hearing more of my thoughts on Glee throughout the season you can do so through the podcast Glee Chat of which I am a co-host.

What about you? Did you watch the season premiere of Glee? What plots were you excited about? Which ones disappointed you? Let me know any thoughts you have in the comments!

A Clash of Kings

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones. I had really enjoyed the HBO series and was pleased to find that the book was even better leaving me eager to pick up the next installment in the Song of Ice and Fire series. It took me longer than I would have liked, but I was finally able to read A Clash of Kings and it did not disappoint. This second book picks up right where the first left off with the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros fractured and stuck in a tug-of-war between five different self-proclaimed kings; of course by the end that number is diminished.

One of the most important elements of a good story, regardless of medium, are the characters. If a story does not have compelling characters, then regardless of how good the plot is I find myself not as invested and not really caring. Martin excels at this task. Each and every one of his characters, especially the ones who narrate the story, are layered and multifaceted.  At the end of almost every chapter I would be disappointed that I had to leave whoever had been narrating only to find myself immersed in the new perspective within a few paragraphs. The one character I am always exited to see listed at the start of a new chapter, though, is Tyrion.

Tyrion is by far the most fascinating character in the series to me. (As a side note, I am so glad that Peter Dinklage won the Emmy for his portrayal of Tyrion. It was well deserved.) Tyrion is a member of the Lannister family which should automatically place him in the antagonist category, yet it doesn’t. In spite of the way he has been neglected and humiliated by his family because of his dwarfism he is still loyal to them and works to help them. It is so interesting to see how, while he has still learned how to use his vast intellect to manipulate, he has been spared from the lessons of cruelty and selfish indifference towards others that his siblings learned. In their disgust for him and the resultant neglect his family inadvertently helps Tyrion to become the most moral of the group. He uses a lot of the sneaky and often underhanded tricks of his family to achieve his goals, yet most often those goals are for the benefit and protection of others. Thanks to Tyrion I am always torn between wanting the Lannisters defeated and wanting Tyrion to succeed. I could write an entire blog on his character alone and I can not wait to see what Martin does with him in the next book.

The character that competes with Tyrion the most for my attention is Arya. She is by far my favorite of the Stark children. I love how she is such a contrast to Sansa who represents the more proper and ideal Lady. Her tenacity is incredible. We are shown that she does indeed get afraid by the things she faces, yet no matter what it is she does not back down and does her best to find a solution. It is easy to forget that she is just a little girl caught in a current of circumstances beyond her control and she is trying her hardest to keep her head above water and swim to shore. We see her make mistakes, but she always learns from those mistakes and grows. I imagine by the end of the series she will truly be a force to be reckoned with.

In the first book I loved the story of Daenerys and couldn’t wait to get to her chapters, but in A Clash of Kings I became much less interested in her. After all the excitement and importance that surrounded her before it felt like she didn’t have much of a story to tell this time. I am hopeful that this will change in the next book as she seems to have gotten a least a little more clarity and direction by the end. Similarly I found Jon’s story slightly less interesting than before. I was excited when we learned he would be going beyond the wall, but when he got there very little happened until his last chapter when his life took a drastic turn. Now I am very excited to see what happens next.

I am so glad that HBO introduced me to this series of books. Martin has created a world that I love spending time in and characters that are able to pull me into it. A Clash of Kings gave me a much different reading experience since I did not know what was going to happen like I did with A Game of Thrones and as a result I was able to become more involved with the story. I am now fully committed to this series and can’t wait to start A Storm of Swords. The only thing I am not looking forward to is the insanely long wait between books as I am positive I will finish the five that are currently out long before the sixth and seventh are released!

What about you? Have you read any of the books in the Song of Ice and Fire series? Who are your favorite characters? What do like and dislike about the series? Let me know in the comments!

It’s Never Too Late to Become a Fan

Earlier this month Hypable.com featured a pair of “dueling columns” by two of my favorite staff members, Selina Wilken and Jimmy Bean, in which they each listed their Top 5 episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For reasons I no longer remember I never watched Buffy, but my dad did and currently owns every season on DVD. Being the thoughtful daughter that I am I shared the links to these columns with him and this was the catalyst that led to me agreeing to begin a Buffy marathon with him starting from the beginning.

We made it through the first 8 episodes of Season 1 and I have to say that I am now hooked. I had always teased my dad for his love of this show I judged as being silly and juvenile (which was very much a case of the pot calling the kettle black) and I am now eating my words. I really enjoyed it. It was fun and quirky not to mention the fact that Anthony Head who is currently on one of my favorite shows – Merlin – was on it. The characters are all great. I have never been a huge fan of Sarah Michelle Gellar, yet I really like her as Buffy. I have also fallen in love with her faithful sidekicks Xander and Willow and and, of course, the still oh so hunky Angel.

Even though I am becoming a fan of Buffy I have to point out that I wasn’t completely off base in my uniformed belief that the show was silly. There have already been several episodes where this has been the case – “The Pack” being my best example so far. It reminds me of the “Freak of the Week” plot devices used in Smallville where each week there would be a different supernaturally enhanced villain that had to be defeated. Considering that Buffy came out first it is very possible that is where Smallville got the idea. This plot device can get a little tired if the weekly villains are not compelling; hopefully they got better with that as the show progressed because so far those have been the weaker episodes.

It is interesting to just now be starting from the beginning of the series. Even though I never watched it I still know a bit of what happens throughout just from having listened to those who did watch it when it originally aired. So, for example, I knew that Angel was a vampire and was not surprised by that revelation, but I was still able to appreciate the shock it was to the characters. There are several key events that occur in later seasons that I already know about and I am excited to see how those things come about and how I react to them with my foreknowledge.

With all the current vampire craze it is easy to forget about Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the huge cult following it had and still has. While I am excited that the relatively new trend of putting television shows on DVDs has given me the opportunity to watch this classic show I am sad that I missed out on the original excitement. But it can’t be helped and I can’t wait for the next day in my Buffy marathon.

Have you seen any of Buffy? If so, what did you think of it? Is there another show that, like this, you missed out on and would like to go back and watch? Let me know in the comments!

From Book to Television: The Changes of True Blood

Another season of HBOs True Blood has come and gone leaving us already eagerly awaiting the next one. This season I watched the finale with a small group of friends of which I was the only one that had completed the book on which the season was based, Dead to the World. I did not begin reading the books until after the first season of True Blood had aired, but every season since then I have still found myself just as unsure of what was going to happen as those who had not read the books. As this season’s finale unfolded and I realized I was gasping just as much as my friends at the many surprises and shocks being thrown at us I began to think about the books and how each season of the show seems to be growing more divergent from its source material.

The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris are written in 1st Person through the voice of Sookie Stackhouse. For the novels this works just fine, but for the television series they needed to flesh out some of the other characters in order to create more interesting secondary plots. Over the course of the show some of these changes and additions have worked (such as keeping Lafayette alive or the creation of Jessica) and some have not (such as Maryanne *shudders at the memory*). While I thoroughly enjoyed this season of True Blood I felt like it got a little carried away with these side plots. There were times where Sookie, who is still the protagonist of the story, was barely featured at all and we almost forgot it was her story. There was just so much going on that it was next to impossible to become invested in all of it. One week Hypable.com creator Andrew Sims even tweeted that whenever a certain plot was featured it was his “designated bathroom break” and he “couldn’t be less interested in these characters.” That is not good.

Beyond just adding new storylines to the show, though, with each passing season more elements of the actual plots lifted from the books are being changed. Frequently these changes work. I thought that the major tweaking of Marnie’s character and her agenda was very well executed and made for some exciting television and I loved the way they handled the Sookie-Eric-Bill triangle. I was sorely disappointed, however, with Jason and the Hotshot subplot. What was the point in introducing the werepanthers from Hotshot and having them bite Jason if he wasn’t going to be turned? It was one of the most anticlimactic plots I have ever seen. Why include that storyline from the book if the major outcome is going to be left out?

It will be very interesting to see what True Blood does in it’s 5th season and how far it strays from Dead as a Doornail. For the most part I really do enjoy the changes made from the books. It allows me to enjoy the suspense and excitement of the show even though I have read the books on which it is based. I can’t wait to see how the many cliffhangers of the finale pan out and since all of them, with the exception of Sookie killing Debbie, were inventions for the show I am in just as much suspense as everyone. It is going to be a long 9 months.

What about you? Have you read the books? What changes did you like or not like? If you haven’t read the books what did you think about this past season? Let me know in the comments!

Not An Ordinary Vampire Book

Some of my favorite books are ones that I just stumble upon and decide to take a chance on. One of those instances happened a few years back with Robin McKinley’s Sunshine. I wanted something to read, but didn’t have anything in my queue so I just started searching on Amazon. I don’t really remember how exactly I came to be viewing the listing for Sunshine, but I thought it sounded really interesting. The next time I went to the bookstore I bought it and quickly became glad that I did.

Sunshine takes place in an alternate universe in which vampires, weres, and demons exist and their existence is known to the general population. Rae, who is nicknamed Sunshine, decides to go to her family’s cabin and while she is there she is abducted by a group of vampires. She is taken and chained in a room as a temptation for another vampire being held prisoner named Constantine. The only way to survive is if she and Constantine work together, but can she trust a vampire? More importantly, does she have a choice?

Ever since the remarkable success of The Twilight Saga the market has been flooded with vampire books, many of which are mediocre at best. Sunshine came out back in 2003 before the vampire craze struck and is a true gem that does not fit into the increasingly derivative genre. For example, while there is a certain sexual tension that creeps in between Sunshine and Constantine on occasion it is in no way a focal point of the plot. In fact, Sunshine has a perfectly human boyfriend from the onset of the book. Robin McKinley also excels in creating strong female characters who are flawed, yet likeable and that is certainly the case with Sunshine. As we read her story not only do we want her to succeed, but we believe that she can in spite of all the obstacles she faces because that is the type of character she is. She is a feisty, no-nonsense woman who also happens to make the best cinnamon rolls around. (As an aside, if you even remotely like cinnamon rolls this novel will make you crave them. She describes them in mouth-watering detail on several occasions. I recommend having some at hand before beginning to read.)

The world that Robin McKinley has created in Sunshine is incredibly detailed and has all the complexities inherent in real life. There is so much about the world and characters that is only hinted at and leaves you desperate for more even as it satisfies. As recent as last month it was listed in the Top 100 Sci-Fi/Fantasy poll conducted by NPR. It is a book that I have already visited more than once and know that I will visit again.

Have you read Sunshine or any other books by Robin McKinley? If so, what did you think? Does this sound like something you would be interested in reading? Let me know in the comments!

The Ever Present Question: Is Severus Snape Good?

A recent article showed that in a poll of 70,000 people the character of Severus Snape beat out all other Harry Potter characters to win fan favorite. Considering how many characters there are in these books and that the poll listed a Top 40 the fact that Snape pulled in 20% of the votes is quite impressive, but not all that surprising. After spending close to 8 years visiting MuggleNet on a daily basis I have seen first hand how much fans adore Severus Snape. I do not get it.

Snape is a jerk. Plain and simple. I get the whole idea that he was in love with Harry’s mother and every time he looks at Harry he is reminded that she chose another man over him and that she is now dead, but that is no excuse to treat Harry, who is a child, the way he does. From his very first Potions class Snape singles him out and unfairly picks on him to the point where Harry is convinced that Snape “hated him” (Philosopher’s Stone, 101*).

If Snape was only horrible to Harry I might have been able to force myself to overlook it, but that was not the case. In the very first book we are told that Snape “‘can turn very nasty’” (104) and likes “hardly any of the students” (105). Throughout the series we are forced to watch as Snape bullies his students time and time again, especially insecure Neville Longbottom. In Chamber of Secrets – keep in mind Neville is only 12 – Snape ridicules him at the Dueling Club saying that he “causes devastation with the simplest spells” and that they would be “sending what’s left of [his dueling partner] up to the hospital wing in a matchbox” (144). He says this in front of nearly the entire school! Then in Prisoner of Azkaban Snape forces Neville to feed his poorly brewed potion to his pet toad with the expectation of it poisoning the toad, the only reason it doesn’t is thanks to Hermione’s help (95-97). Just a few pages later Neville’s boggart takes the form of Snape showing us that he fears Snape more than anything else and even this incident results in Snape “bullying Neville worse than ever” (107).

There are so many examples of Snape’s cruel nature throughout all 7 books that it is impossible to list them all, but I think it is clear that Snape is not a nice man. But he was working for Dumbledore, he was helping Harry, he was brave and good! This is the kind of thing I see written all the time. Yes, in the end Snape was working for Dumbledore not Voldemort. Yes, he was very brave and risked his life daily to help bring Voldemort down. But does that really make him good?

When we finally learn the truth about Snape’s loyalties and love for Lily Evans (Harry’s mother) in Deathly Hallows, rather than feeling sympathetic for him I was more disgusted with him than ever. The only reason he stopped being a Death Eater for Voldemort was because of how Voldemort interpreted the prophecy.  When he goes to Dumbledore for help his only concern is for Lily. He doesn’t care that Voldemort wants to kill Harry. When Dumbledore asks him why he doesn’t just ask Voldemort to spare Lily in “‘exchange for the son’” Snape says that he has! It is only after Dumbledore shows his revulsion at this that Snape says to “‘hide them all, then. Keep her – them – safe.’” (543-544)

Later, when Dumbledore is telling Snape that Harry has to die Snape looks “horrified”. Dumbledore is naturally surprised by Snape’s show of outrage and asks him if he has started to care for Harry to which Snape shouts, “For him?” and shows that it is still Lily for whom he cares (551-552). The only reason Snape has been trying to protect and help Harry is because he is Lily’s son and Lily died to protect him. Even when Dumbledore tries to comfort Snape in his grief for Lily by pointing out her son lived Snape’s response is “with a tiny jerk of his head, Snape seemed to flick off an irksome fly.” (544)

In the end was Snape fighting against Voldemort? Yes. Was he brave? Yes. Was he good? No. Snape was a cruel man who cared for no one other than Lily Evans. If ever I become unsure I ask myself one simple question: If Voldemort had chosen to go after the Longbottoms instead of the Potters would Snape have still been a Death Eater? Every time the answer I come up with is “yes”.

What do you think? Do you agree with me or think that I am too hard on Snape? What makes you like or dislike him? Let me know in the comments!

*All page references come from the UK editions of the books.