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    Originally posted by knowles2 View Post

    Also the cities look far more decayed than they would really be after 15 years, way to much plant growth. These are the basics who would expect them to get right.
    Just wondering what you are basing that on. I'm from a city where parts of it have been abandoned for only 2 years, you would be amazed at how quickly places get over grown.
    I would add a pic here, but my file is to large
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      Yeah I was going to say the same, back where I used to live a house went into probate after the owner died, and within a few years you could not even see the house from the road, nor access it easily due to the overgrowth.

      Comment


        Originally posted by Mrja84 View Post


        Why was there a question about it? Electricity is gone (well man-made electricity I guess IDK).

        I was unsure what the go with steam engines were up until this episode, though the scene at the docks in the last episode did mention steamers, but I always found it odd that steam and rail was not being more utilised.
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          I have only seen the pilot and first show so far, It only started this week...and I haven't read all the pages here, Only the first two. So far the show is good, but time will tell.
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            Pilot
            Spoiler:

            NBC is a television network in distress; after several years of massive blowups like the Jay Leno/Conan O'Brian it found itself bought by Comcast who is attempting to rebuild the network; have taken a page from 1995 and added tons of sitcoms like "Whitney", "Guys with Kids" and "The New Normal". Oh and they have also added this show, "Revolution", the show seemingly designed to gather that rookie audience that NBC desires. Now this show has everything for NBC, it's placed after The Voice, it has J.J. Abrams onboard, it has huge promotion that equals much of NBC's budget for the year.

            But that's the problem.


            Just like Luke Skywalker.

            First off, the premise is terrible; this has been talked about before many times, the inconveniences of what happens (electricty going off, jets falling), the obvious message about people being obsessed with technology, the ignorance of logistics and watching the pilot in full does nothing to change what has been talked about before. People are supposed to suspend disbelief for this to work but it's hard to suspend disbelief when you've painted yourself in a corner from episode 1. Fortunately... The show does have it's characters which hopefully should prevent me from asking questions. We have Charlie, the red haired girl who's the daughter of the one who plays a major part, we have Rachel who reminds me of Lost's Claire and has a protective side, we have Aaron who is the requisite geek character and we have the star attraction Danny who has deep connections, mystique and expertise. All of these characters have interesting backstories with Charlie's deep connection with her father, the various places she wants to visit; Aaron with him being a Google executive with lost money and it is these backstories that give a certain kind of charms that invites us to these characters and make us care for them throughout the show.

            Unfortunately, everybody here acts incredibly weak with a forced sense of dramaticism, emotion, tensity and even normal line delivery that all of the actors suffer from, Charlie consistently seems like she's trying so hard to inject character in every place that she's seeming like she's drawing from reference and speaking as if she was reading it from the page. Whenever she tries to emote, she overacts with a wobbly voice and an emotional state where no tears bother to come out. Aaron is overly cliched, annoying and lacking of any redeeming traits whatsoever; it's as if he's specifically designed to appeal to a specific audience as he acts overly weak and scared while speaking in a tone that seems socially awkward. Danny is the ultimate stereotype acting like a wiseguy who knows how to fight, cracks up jokes and claims to not join but joins in the end. The best character in this isn't even a main character but a minor character who's an African American woman that has actual personality and an interesting backstory; there's a certain charm to her that just infects your mind, the way she let out her words, the way she interacts, it suggests tons of character, character that you can actually feel, character that just begs you to follow her.


            Our heroes in Tatooine.

            As J.J. Abrams fans know, there is a certain complexion that surrounds his work from "Lost" to even his 2009 remake of Star Trek. People can watch the entire thing and enjoy it but it takes a trained eye to notice the subtleties... this show does not have any of that complexion, in fact everything seems to be pushed in your face. The entire show has the feeling of a Star Wars without electricity, an evil empire who has taken over the world and one girl being raised in a simple farming environment, unaware of her true purpose; heck it is evident when you first watch the show itself from the first scenes of Charlie to when her father dies to when everybody joins up together, they even had a lunchbox with "Return of the Jedi" on it, just in case you didn't notice the obvious clues that could only be more obvious if a sign in Vegas blared it out. The settings that they're in are seemingly designed to fit a certain scene whether it's the first sight of love, the creepy setting or even a highly choreographed fight sequences.

            As I watched our characters graced through trees, rock like settings and even dark rooms with stairs and candlelights on them. I can tell that these environments weren't natural to the world themselves, that they only exist to serve the mood of whatever the producers want; to me it suggests that the producers lack the soul to create an environment that was unique and didn't have obvious overtones (just look at Minority Report) and the fight scenes are overly flashy and detrimental to the premise as a whole; never in 15 years have I seen guys who were so used to electricity suddenly know how to swordfight and take guys out with ease; these were people who lived normal lives, didn't know how to fight and now they know how to take out a guy with style and grace usually reserved for James Bond? And just look at Danny and his cohorts, he's swinging that sword around quickly, gracefully avoiding his cohorts like a gazelle, putting more focus on his moves than the actual fighting himself... It is this fighting which gives action movies it's cliche name, it is this fighting which was the most criticized of the Star Wars prequels, style over substance, excess over believability. It's a trend that makes it really hard to take the world seriously even though it's decently executed.

            And we can't forget about the mystery itself; we have various militia who has taken over the world, we have this odd orb thing that is praised highly, we have odd symbols, we even have a shady group. Normally the people watching this would find this mysterious, just the sheer sight of these items and mention of the conspiracy that presents itself; it's kind of obvious what makes these things mysterious but they point it out almost every time. Throughout the episode you have the close up shots which clearly reveal items and gives a subtle hint to the viewer that this is important; it would be good if they referenced it only once but they do it 3-4 times even when the close-up in general is established and it quickly becomes tiring and gimmicky because it makes it clear that the producers have no idea what subtly is, heck the fact that they have to make it aware doesn't say much for the producer's abilities in general. Then there's the whole sheer logic being exchanged drama and vaguness, the main character seemingly stumbling over his words as he tries to explain the situation. We get that it's a mystery, we get that it's suspicious, we're an intelligent audience, we're capable of figuring things out for ourselves...

            The militia do prove to be somewhat interesting, it has a connection with the group behind the blackout, one of what will be the main guys are in it and the African American guy is quite arguably the second best character with his Clint Eastwood-like behavior and his humble yet domineering performance yet they do nothing but scream generecy with threatening standoffs that involve generic phrases and scenes that have a bad guy face to face with a good guy with the prisoner transport scene inbetween. They barely do anything to separate themselves from Star Wars "Galactic Empire", in fact it seems like the only truly different thing seems to be the inclusion of one of the family members who serves to be one of those recurring characters with a confusing mix of impeccable skills and natural weakness. It seems like the only interesting thing about them is that they exist in this world, all while a family member hopefully finds a way to get back to where he once was while suffering the same flaws as the rest. They fit the world, they have history but should we consider that enough?


            Bow down to the galactic empire.

            The pilot episode confirmed what I had feared about the show; this is a mess of a concept with a lack of focus, overly flashy presentation, tons of obviousness and a lack of faith in it's audience. The acting is subpar with the backstories being better than the characters themselves, the premise is more confusing than time travel, the story itself feels like a weak rehash of Star Wars and yet... I can expect this being renewed for a second season. I can't blame them, NBC desperately wants a hit show and sci-fi fans/the general public wants something that's at least entertainable and there is some stuff that I find interesting about this show but NBC and the public should be expecting a bit more from themselves. This stuff is detrimental to quality as a whole, it's a polished product sure but polish does not always equal brilliance and this is from J.J. Abrams no less. I am really disappointed but I am willing to see if this little train of hope goes somewhere; they certainly got something planned for the show right?

            2.0/10
            Back from the grave.

            Comment


              finally caught up with last week's episode. ugh. charlie is definitely the worst. so terrible.

              Comment


                I think she'd be a better character if most of the other characters didn't act like she can do no wrong. Miles is the only one that tells her off, but that's treated like a bad thing on the show. Charlie always ends up in the right at the end since she's the moral center/heroine or whatever; it's annoying.
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                  Originally posted by Morbo View Post
                  finally caught up with last week's episode. ugh. charlie is definitely the worst. so terrible.
                  For being upset that her father was killed, her brother was kidnapped, her uncle was not the man she expected, the guy she liked turned out to be a spy, her surrogate mother was killed, she had her brother in her grasp but lost him again and you think she would be all smiles wouldn't you....

                  Considering how much she's been through in 3 weeks shes a lot stronger than most people.

                  Comment


                    Originally posted by escyos View Post
                    For being upset that her father was killed, her brother was kidnapped, her uncle was not the man she expected, the guy she liked turned out to be a spy, her surrogate mother was killed, she had her brother in her grasp but lost him again and you think she would be all smiles wouldn't you....

                    Considering how much she's been through in 3 weeks shes a lot stronger than most people.
                    Well when you put it that way.
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                    Comment


                      Chained Heat
                      Spoiler:
                      Since this is a complex series with a complex mythology, there are a lot of things that have to be established, things such as the characters, premise and the world at hand and watching the pilot, some of that stuff is established but there's a whole lot more stuff to establish, henceforth, this episode can be seen as a continuation of the pilot; except it has more of a coherent plot.

                      The theme of this episode could be the winds the change and the attempts to break past the norm. Danny with his loner status, Charlie with her uncertain, worrisome nature and Rachel with her pictures of the past being confronted with the help she is provided, the willingness she goes to in light of her new views and the sense of hope that is given by another guy. It is certainly interesting how they look into all three, the type of stuff that they hint at with Danny in regards to his position and behavior and Charlie with her flashbacks that contrast the troubling situation of her past life with that of her situation at hand. They utilize it in almost impressive ways, showing the types of situations that justify their decisions, implementing those situations in both a plot and a character-wise way... It gives off a deepness that makes the plot something more, makes these characters almost engaging as they go about and grow within the winds; as Charlie faces off with a guy having to make the eventual choice, as Danny reluctantly accepts the help, as Rachel becomes hopeful of her situation, they prove dynamic in nature and show that they're serious about their characters.

                      Unfortunately, the acting behind the characters doesn't match up with the stories themselves. Much of what they do has to be reflected by many things; looks, words, reactions, the occasional off-beat action. When you see a guy breaking his neck and you want to utilize that to reflect some portion of the character, you have to actually look the part, reflect what the character is feeling and the characters here can't seem to do that, more often or not failing to sell the illusion of the world. Charlie in particular fails the most, this is supposed to be a character who's overly protected, surrounded by loss and wants to prove her worth yet she can't show any kind of emotion or impact; to her, disappointment equates a blank look, one that doesn't provide a window into her soul and anger equates to making her voice louder while throwing her voice off somewhat... She detracts from every scene when she attempts to act and it turns people away from her character, away from her story which is the better part of her character; in fact her younger self in the flashbacks manages to act better than her older self as she manages to show the kind of innocence, soul, emotion and character that she herself lacks in the future. I know, I'm surprised...


                      Just another day for the Militia.

                      Another theme is the expansion of the world that consist of this show, full of moral possibilities and immense depth throughout. It's impressive as to what is provided in terms of life, the various bazaars that they roam through filled with people roaming around, buying stuff while a religious nut shouts out stuff, the various bars that they go into are filled with the people playing games, almost seeming casual in nature... Though the Militia may seem like the evil empire from Star Wars you can see how their presence has an influence on life; their laws, their rules, their almost dominating presence, it makes us think about the militia and their ways, their various sociological structures and behind-the-scenes routines and it makes those thoughts have impact, more so than the actual reveals themselves. (although it is nice to see their routines, the way they deal with those who break the law, the way they take care of their dead...) These types of things are a trademark of J.J. Abrams series and this episode does a nice job at establishing that, showing that there's more to this show than just a rehashing of Star Wars but without electricity.

                      Certain flaws do dilute this theme though, for instance; we've been told that there's been a riot, that there's a situation for survival but ask yourself this, if you'd stumbled upon a grassy field with a brown circle in the middle, who would you assume did it; someone else or aliens? At this point in time we want to see how bad the situation is, I can understand budgetary concerns but this just takes weight out of the stuff said and further hurts it's premise. Every word has to have weight in order to be believable, they have to actually seem like these people are being controlled by a bunch of oddball rules, that there's a black market the likes of which we have never seen; if they can't have weight then where does it leave us? There are many chances to separate this world from the others, just to divert criticism and make more of it; granted it's the second episode but introducing "Rebels" isn't helping. Their talks about hope and freedom immediately reflect upon the Rebel Alliance and their hopes to overthrow the evil empire; while they do include some sophistication in there, it doesn't help to deflect comparisons. Additionally, the need to push out the mystery dilutes the immense depth throughout; we get that the blackout could be man made, we get that we can stop it; if the Writers don't have faith in us then what's the point in creating a complex mythology?


                      Their version of life.

                      The logistics of the series also interferes in many of what they're trying to do. There are many examples here, Rachel's emotional plot about her iPhone, Charlie's brother with the Milita...; in the case of the two they throw away common sense just to fit in the subtexts of the plot. The Milita makes many stops along the way despite the fact that there are chances for him to escape, Rachel explains that her iPhone contains every picture of their kids despite the options she had at the time; common sense would dictate many things like not stopping and saving your photos and it is those things that take people out of the plots, Rachel's struggle in remembering her kids, Charlie's brother uncertainty and fear in the hands of the militia; it's admirable in the amount of character that they try to provide but no one should be thinking about how those pictures would of been lost if anything happened to the iPhone and no one should be thinking about how many stops they're making. Additionally, they shouldn't have to try to cram in distracting, flashy, contradictory and unnecessary fight scenes The show should focus more on the characters than the action, it just throws everything off whenever they include them; the seeming lack of finesse, the perception of the characters... I want to like the show not question it.

                      This episode does expand further on the premise of the show, getting about the stuff the pilot didn't have a chance to do and it's slightly better than the pilot but it's also the same as the pilot as well. This episode does reaffirm one thing, that the various backstories, the various concepts, the various intricacies are more interesting than the actual results themselves. A good idea is one thing, it can span out for many miles and allow for many paths to be taken but there has to be people who are capable of exploiting that idea, people who can step up to the plate and satisfy demands; otherwise it's just an idea. The people here are incapable of exploiting that idea and as a result, we're left with an episode that's known more for it's possibilities than it's content.

                      2.5/10
                      Back from the grave.

                      Comment


                        Zombie you seem to hate the show, so...why do you keep watching?

                        Comment


                          Originally posted by Zombies Rise from the Sea View Post
                          Chained Heat
                          Spoiler:
                          Since this is a complex series with a complex mythology, there are a lot of things that have to be established, things such as the characters, premise and the world at hand and watching the pilot, some of that stuff is established but there's a whole lot more stuff to establish, henceforth, this episode can be seen as a continuation of the pilot; except it has more of a coherent plot.

                          The theme of this episode could be the winds the change and the attempts to break past the norm. Danny with his loner status, Charlie with her uncertain, worrisome nature and Rachel with her pictures of the past being confronted with the help she is provided, the willingness she goes to in light of her new views and the sense of hope that is given by another guy. It is certainly interesting how they look into all three, the type of stuff that they hint at with Danny in regards to his position and behavior and Charlie with her flashbacks that contrast the troubling situation of her past life with that of her situation at hand. They utilize it in almost impressive ways, showing the types of situations that justify their decisions, implementing those situations in both a plot and a character-wise way... It gives off a deepness that makes the plot something more, makes these characters almost engaging as they go about and grow within the winds; as Charlie faces off with a guy having to make the eventual choice, as Danny reluctantly accepts the help, as Rachel becomes hopeful of her situation, they prove dynamic in nature and show that they're serious about their characters.

                          Unfortunately, the acting behind the characters doesn't match up with the stories themselves. Much of what they do has to be reflected by many things; looks, words, reactions, the occasional off-beat action. When you see a guy breaking his neck and you want to utilize that to reflect some portion of the character, you have to actually look the part, reflect what the character is feeling and the characters here can't seem to do that, more often or not failing to sell the illusion of the world. Charlie in particular fails the most, this is supposed to be a character who's overly protected, surrounded by loss and wants to prove her worth yet she can't show any kind of emotion or impact; to her, disappointment equates a blank look, one that doesn't provide a window into her soul and anger equates to making her voice louder while throwing her voice off somewhat... She detracts from every scene when she attempts to act and it turns people away from her character, away from her story which is the better part of her character; in fact her younger self in the flashbacks manages to act better than her older self as she manages to show the kind of innocence, soul, emotion and character that she herself lacks in the future. I know, I'm surprised...


                          Just another day for the Militia.

                          Another theme is the expansion of the world that consist of this show, full of moral possibilities and immense depth throughout. It's impressive as to what is provided in terms of life, the various bazaars that they roam through filled with people roaming around, buying stuff while a religious nut shouts out stuff, the various bars that they go into are filled with the people playing games, almost seeming casual in nature... Though the Militia may seem like the evil empire from Star Wars you can see how their presence has an influence on life; their laws, their rules, their almost dominating presence, it makes us think about the militia and their ways, their various sociological structures and behind-the-scenes routines and it makes those thoughts have impact, more so than the actual reveals themselves. (although it is nice to see their routines, the way they deal with those who break the law, the way they take care of their dead...) These types of things are a trademark of J.J. Abrams series and this episode does a nice job at establishing that, showing that there's more to this show than just a rehashing of Star Wars but without electricity.

                          Certain flaws do dilute this theme though, for instance; we've been told that there's been a riot, that there's a situation for survival but ask yourself this, if you'd stumbled upon a grassy field with a brown circle in the middle, who would you assume did it; someone else or aliens? At this point in time we want to see how bad the situation is, I can understand budgetary concerns but this just takes weight out of the stuff said and further hurts it's premise. Every word has to have weight in order to be believable, they have to actually seem like these people are being controlled by a bunch of oddball rules, that there's a black market the likes of which we have never seen; if they can't have weight then where does it leave us? There are many chances to separate this world from the others, just to divert criticism and make more of it; granted it's the second episode but introducing "Rebels" isn't helping. Their talks about hope and freedom immediately reflect upon the Rebel Alliance and their hopes to overthrow the evil empire; while they do include some sophistication in there, it doesn't help to deflect comparisons. Additionally, the need to push out the mystery dilutes the immense depth throughout; we get that the blackout could be man made, we get that we can stop it; if the Writers don't have faith in us then what's the point in creating a complex mythology?


                          Their version of life.

                          The logistics of the series also interferes in many of what they're trying to do. There are many examples here, Rachel's emotional plot about her iPhone, Charlie's brother with the Milita...; in the case of the two they throw away common sense just to fit in the subtexts of the plot. The Milita makes many stops along the way despite the fact that there are chances for him to escape, Rachel explains that her iPhone contains every picture of their kids despite the options she had at the time; common sense would dictate many things like not stopping and saving your photos and it is those things that take people out of the plots, Rachel's struggle in remembering her kids, Charlie's brother uncertainty and fear in the hands of the militia; it's admirable in the amount of character that they try to provide but no one should be thinking about how those pictures would of been lost if anything happened to the iPhone and no one should be thinking about how many stops they're making. Additionally, they shouldn't have to try to cram in distracting, flashy, contradictory and unnecessary fight scenes The show should focus more on the characters than the action, it just throws everything off whenever they include them; the seeming lack of finesse, the perception of the characters... I want to like the show not question it.

                          This episode does expand further on the premise of the show, getting about the stuff the pilot didn't have a chance to do and it's slightly better than the pilot but it's also the same as the pilot as well. This episode does reaffirm one thing, that the various backstories, the various concepts, the various intricacies are more interesting than the actual results themselves. A good idea is one thing, it can span out for many miles and allow for many paths to be taken but there has to be people who are capable of exploiting that idea, people who can step up to the plate and satisfy demands; otherwise it's just an idea. The people here are incapable of exploiting that idea and as a result, we're left with an episode that's known more for it's possibilities than it's content.

                          2.5/10


                          you really hate this show, dont ya ?
                          sigpic

                          Comment


                            Originally posted by escyos View Post
                            Zombie you seem to hate the show, so...why do you keep watching?
                            Originally posted by Sp!der View Post
                            you really hate this show, dont ya ?
                            Personally I thought his reviews were fair and mix, he likes some elements in the show. An he only seen the first two episodes.

                            Comment


                              I thought Zombie's review was fine. My main problem with the reviews are with the names. I'm guessing that by Danny, you mean Miles. Danny is Charlie's brother, Miles is her uncle. Rachel is Charlie's mother, Maggie is the blonde woman they are traveling with. I agree with some points in the review, disagree with others. I personally, wouldn't have rated either episode that low though(ep1 6.5-7; ep2 7-7.5); but that's just my opinion.
                              sigpic

                              Comment


                                Originally posted by escyos View Post
                                For being upset that her father was killed, her brother was kidnapped, her uncle was not the man she expected, the guy she liked turned out to be a spy, her surrogate mother was killed, she had her brother in her grasp but lost him again and you think she would be all smiles wouldn't you....

                                Considering how much she's been through in 3 weeks shes a lot stronger than most people.
                                that's not what i'm saying.
                                she acts like a brat, has stupid ideas, and does stupid things.

                                i know it's not real life, and she's not a real person, and the writers are just writing her that way, but it makes her a completely unlikeable character.

                                it's hard to sympathize with someone if you can't stand them in the first place.

                                she's not quite a bad as sookie on true blood, but, the season's young...

                                ---
                                unrelated to charlie, i will say i did like seeing the map of the US and the different areas. that was interesting.

                                looks like we're about to have another "war of northern aggression" eh?! eh?! yeeaaahhhh

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