Geeky Fall Shows

Recently I decided to get caught up on some TV premieres via Hulu. Three caught my attention:


Flash Forward

An ensemble cast of familiar faces is lead by Joseph Fiennes with moderate effect, but it all feels a bit like we've seen it before... in another ABC show called "Lost". In "Flash Forward" the entire population of the world blacks out and experiences visions of the same day, six months into the future. The blackouts caused accidents all over the world that humanity races to recover from. The visions inspire fear in some and hope in others and everyone is trying to solve the mystery of what happened and why.

The show will possibly take the opportunity to explore spiritual themes like the existence of God or other supernatural beings. The idea of free will and the nature of the future (fixed or "changeable") will also likely be covered and given commentary. The dramatic elements are interesting, but not uniquely compelling. And the repeated "flashforwards" feel too much like classic episodic elements of "Lost" to be anything new. As a sci-fi fan the show is interesting to me and I'd like to try it out some more, as it looks to have some interesting ingredients in its make-up. But with extremely limited time, I just don't think I have time for a show with as few sci-fi/fantasy elements as this show has, which are additionally unoriginally executed.


Stargate Universe

Once again, the sci-fi channel brings us a Stargate spinoff, though this offering may be different from what viewers have come to expect. In many ways, the show is just as ungroundbreaking as it's TV predecessors. Although I loved the Stargate movie and some of the first season of the TV show, it soon became static and plot driven, with little artistry in the way it was shot and straightforward characters who behaved in preditcable ways. "Universe" is my first exposure to the franchise since watching the premiere and two episodes of "Stargate: Atlantis". I was dissappointed to see transporter technology. They even called it "beaming". More and more this franchise seems to have turned into "Star Trek" set in modern times. However, "Stargate Universe" does start borrowing from better sources, in my opinion. The show obviously takes a cue from Battlestar Galactica, using a more hand-held camera style than previous Stargate shows I've seen. It also share's Battlestar's theme of "human survival in space". (Not to mention a long-haired scruffy looking "Doctor" with an accent that everyone needs but no one is sure if they can trust.) In general, the show has a grittier feel than previous Stargate shows, but far from the hard-hitting emotional realism of Battlestar Galactica, which isn't a bad thing unless you're especially in the mood for that kind of experience. Unfortunately, they aim to keep things light through mostly forced, unfunny jokes. Still, "Universe" seems to be giving more attention to character-driven subplots than previous "Stargate" shows. The pilot also contains a plot element in the second half centered on self-sacrifice. I read some online buzz about this from other Christians who thought it represented some "Christian themes" in the story, and though it was interesting, I didn't find it to be exclusively "Christian" as much as I found it "compatible" with the gospel message. If I find the time, I may watch a couple more episodes and consider sticking with it if the quality is maintained or improves.

Heroes

Although last year Heroes got off to a rough start, this season begins with several of the elements that made this series solid to begin with. Finished with the lame "good/bad reversal" plotlines of last year, this season introduces a few interesting new characters without cutting needed development time for the plotlines of the core cast of characters.
Matt Parkman's struggle with the "ghost" of Sylar is unoriginal, but interesting, provided it leads to Sylar's proper return. Speaking of which, I still mourn the loss of Nathan as a character and wish they would bring him back instead of persisting with his "shell". However, if/when they do bring him back, it will very possibly come with an assumptive statement about the nature of the human soul, for good or ill. Worth keeping an eye on.
Regardless of what direction they take with the various mysteries and plotlines this season, Heroes seems to be returning to its more character-driven roots. I can only hope they've learned their lesson and things will continue to improve from here.

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