The Fredösphere

Oooh, boy, it is such a relief to enter the post-Obamamania era and live in a time of sane expectations. That's not the only reason to watch V, the new SF series on ABC TV, but for some of us, it will be enough.

Not that the show indulges in fanaticism of the opposite kind. It's current event scorecard shows equal digs at both Bushism and Obamamania. What makes this show special is its unambiguous digs at topics previously held sacrosanct by Hollywood. Namely, the Visitors (that's "V" for short; the suave aliens who hide their lizard hides underneath beautiful human skin and who lust after our resource-rich planet) seduce us earthlings with promises of universal health care.

It's a shocking moment when you hear those words, universal health care. It's also a failure of taste—I would prefer a more creative, less partisan examination of the totalitarian temptation—but, wow. I didn't think they had it in them. It's actually okay now for a big-four network TV script to prick the Obama balloon. What a relief. What timing.

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play? Is V worth watching?

I would say it is, although the pilot's story line was terribly rushed. Why did they want to propel us past the opening moments of First Contact (so rich in drama) and move us to conventional TV crime/spy drama plotting? This seems such a 80s way to approach a TV series. Modern audiences (many of whom will watch at their own pace via DVR or DVD) can tolerate long plot arcs that span many episodes. Some of us actually do more than tolerate long plot arcs; we prefer them.

V's plot pacing bodes ill for the series, and its status as a remake left little room for surprises for me or anyone who has paid even a little attention to the history of the SF genre. Nevertheless, the performances are uniformly strong and the lizards look great in their satiny gray power suits. In particular, I liked the icy calm and unapproachable perfection of Morena Baccarin, who is very convincing as the perfect alien headmistress. (That wasn't true in Serenity where she was supposed to be the most attractive woman in the room but was outshown by the Ivory girl appeal of Jewel Staite and the exotic spookiness of Summer Glau.) After recently watching, and being turned off by, Mad Men, I find V's lack of edgy cynicism as a relief. I'll be watch more V and I urge you to do likewise.

Labels: sci-fi, TeeVee

Star Trek is a religion.  I could have told you that.  I did tell you that.

Diva Dianne is a friend who is just like me; she sings, blogs, and occasionally is heard hangin' out at the Starship Sofa podcast.  Her latest post rants on a topic dear to my heart:

I find it shocking how rarely it is to find a classical singer you can actually understand.  Concern these days is often placed solely on a "beautiful" sound at the expense of nearly everything else.  If singers would pay more attention to vowel quality and intensity many of the inconsistencies and "problems" would melt away.  But many are so busy covering up technical deficiencies they have no idea how to actually remedy them.

Finally, via SF Signal, enjoy this creepy trailer for the new BBC offering, Torchwood:  Children of Earth, although those of us with kids of our own will find no new information here.  If I am allowed one critique of this (truly hair-raising) video, its that it gives too much away.  I think its punch would be most forceful if it would end with the little dears barking their first communal words:  We. We Are. WE ARE COMING!  Yow.



And now, pardon me while I rush home and lock my kids in the basement.

Labels: CuteKid, TeeVee, VideoClip, vocal

Harlan Ellison is an incredibly entertaining writer, and no topic puts him in such fine form as that of his aclaimed Star Trek screenplay, The City on the Edge of Forever.  No, I don't mean he was in fine form when he wrote the screenplay; I consider it a mixed bag of inspired character development and embarrassing cliché.  No, what really brings out Ellison's genius is writing about the writing of, and the subsequent decades-long argument with Gene Roddenberry over, The City on the Edge of Forever.

My friend Jeremy, alert as always, reports to me today that the case is seeing—oh, how shall we put it?—fresh developments.  You'll laugh, you'll cry.

Labels: sci-fi, TeeVee