Review - Terra Nova

Hours before the premiere of FOX's Terra Nova, which I was looking forward to, I found myself asking one basic, logical question:  the premise of the show is to save the human race from a self-destructive future by starting over in the past.  So why would you go to a time period - the Jurassic era, the age of the dinosaurs - you KNOW was wiped out by an extinction level event (most likely a meteor)?  Just saying...

Anyway, I can see the appeal of picking this show up, especially by FOX, a network that has a track record going with similar sci-fi genre shows (Firefly, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Fringe).Not to mention the fact that Steven Spielberg is behind this new venture, and we know he can do dinosaurs right.

The premise - not unlike that of Firefly, Earth 2 and the Lost in Space film - is set up clearly in the opening of the pilot:  "At the dawn of the 22nd century (2149 to be exact), the world is on the verge of environmental collapse.  Mankind's only hope for survival lies 65 million years in the past."  (But again, see my initial question...)

The series makes no bones about telling us where we're clearly headed: a world with no sunlight, breathing masks needed outside at all times, population control (having more than two children is illegal), eventual end of life as we know it.  But unlike this show, we don't have a magical portal offering possible salvation.  At least, not yet ...

Terra Nova focuses on the Shannon family:  father Jim (Jason O'Mara, Life on Mars, Men in Trees), a Chicago narcotics detective who went to jail for two years after striking a population control officer who discovered the family's secret third child, Zoe; mother Elizabeth (Shelley Conn, Marchlands, Mistresses), an exceptional doctor who was hand chosen for the "10th Pilgrimage; son Josh (Landon Liboiron, Degrassi: The Next Generation), loyal to his family but not without anger issues, particularly for his absentee father; and elder daughter Maddy (Naomi Scott, Life Bites), smart like her mother but still a teenage girl finding her place.  Jim escapes from prison and reunites last minute with his family at the portal (very Stargate-like), making a mad dash for the new world as the authorities close in.

Upon arrival at the Terra Nova settlement, which looks a lot like Jurassic Park with tall, iron gates surrounding the compound (though not electrified here - defense comes in the form of sonic guns which drive away the animal inhabitants), we are introduced to leader Nathaniel Taylor (Stephen Lang, bad guy soldier in Avatar),  a seven-year Novan who pep talks the new arrivals with a speech about how greed, war and ignorance destroyed their home and how they've been entrusted with a second chance, "the chance to get it right."  Listening to him, watching him in the scenes to follow ... it may be because of the nature of his past roles (many bad guys), but Lang's Taylor is someone you just feel may be not quite on the up-and-up.  

Taylor and Jim butt heads from the get-go, but later team up to deal with various threats to Terra Nova, which in addition to the dinosaurs include a rogue sect of settlers, known as "Sixers" (named for the 6th Pilgrimage they came through on) - think "The Others" on Lost - who broke off shortly after arrival and frequently pilfer Terra Nova and cause violent conflict.  The Sixers are led by Mira (Christine Adams, The Whole Truth), a tough lady who has control of the local quarry filled with meteoric iron, the currency of the land, and who clearly looks out for her own.  My instinct tells me she may ultimately be more trustworthy than Taylor. We'll have to see.

The real action begins when Josh goes "OTG" (outside the gates) with new friend Skye (Allison Miller, Kings) as they run into the creature dangers lurking in the jungle.  The show looks decent for having to rely on a television budget.  It's clear when the actors are standing before a green screen, and the dinosaurs don't have the realism and tangibility they had in Jurassic Park, but if you can accept that and let yourself be submerged in the world of Terra Nova, you're in for an engaging ride.  The physically real compound sets look great and a solid effort is made merging in the CGI - including a very JP scene of a little girl feeding a "veggisaur" (brontasaurus) - and the live action.  I say, concentrate on the characters, the story and the action and you'll enjoy the show.

The last minutes of the pilot set up - as a good pilot should - some dark, ominous plot points and mysteries to unfold to lure you back for more. My curiosity is peaked.

Bottom line: "Terra" should be more viewing of this series in your future.

Catch Terra Nova Mondays at 8 p.m. on FOX.

Review - Pan Am

"Buckle up. Adventure calls!"

My mother was a flight attendant for TWA in the 60s (they were called stewardesses back then) so I have been looking forward to seeing this new series hoping to get a little insight into her world before I came along.  Of course I know, being a television drama, it will be more about telling stories of romance, scandal, trysts - think Grey's Anatomy in the sky - but within the first five minutes of tonight's premiere, I do have an appreciation of certain rules and standards my mother definitely had to follow - maintaining weight and perfection of appearance, quality of on-board service, a respectable reputation.

The 60s was the Golden Age of Travel.  Flying was an event:  exciting, elegant and glamorous and without the restrictions and precautions we have today in the post-9/11 world.  As for Pan Am, it was the premiere airline of the time, the flagship carrier for the U.S. that flew only international flights.  On board you were personally escorted to your seat. Food, cocktails, pillows and magazines were complimentary and every passenger was treated as first class.  Pan Am stewardesses in particular were deemed feminine icons of the time, turning heads as they walked throughout the terminals to the planes in their pristine, bright blue uniforms and white gloves (this image was also featured in the film Catch Me if You Can, the story of Frank Abagnale, Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) whose many false identities included impersonating a Pan Am pilot). Back then, being a stewardess was one of the few career opportunities for women that allowed them to see the world.  As said in the pilot episode (pun appropriate?), they were "a new breed of woman."

Pan Am is stylish, looks great and has an ease of storytelling about it.  Solid introductions are made of the recurring in-flight crew, which includes Maggie (Christina Ricci, Saving Grace, Ally McBeal), an independent lady who believes she needs to see the world in order to change it; Kate (Kelli Garner, My Generation), a veteran stewardess with a new secret agenda; Laura (Margot Robbie, Neighbours), Kate's younger sister who ran out on her wedding, followed her sister into the friendly skies and now has sudden fame as the face of the Jet Age thanks to a Life magazine cover; Collette (Karine Vanasse, October 1970), who took the term "layover" literally, having had a relationship with a passenger she now has learned is married; Dean (Mike Vogel, Miami Medical, Grounded for Life), newly promoted captain involved with stewardess Bridget (Annabelle Wallis, The Tudors), who has a secret of her own; and fellow pilot Ted (Michael Mosley, Justified, Scrubs), who definitely has an eye for the ladies in blue.

Backstories for each character are told through flashbacks, giving just enough information to relate to what is happening before, during and after the flight featured in the episode, which I'm guessing is how each will play out during the season.  It's early to tell if the series will get any darker as it goes on or if it will stay in the  moderate drama zone like its time-slot predecessor Brothers & Sisters, which would justify Pan Am's pairing with lead-in Desperate Housewives.  A natural match, too, being that both series focus mainly on the female lead characters.

With beautiful sets, an attractive cast, a terrific soundtrack and nostalgia for an intriguing era, Pan Am is easy to watch and has made a promising debut.

Bottom line: Book your ticket for more flights of fancy on board this series.

Catch Pan Am Sundays at 10 p.m. on ABC

Is There Anybody Out There ... Watching?

Well, ratings for the past week have come in and I have to wonder, what's happening?  Seems like nearly every show lost viewers either from last season or the previous week with very few exceptions.  It could be that there is just too much on all at once, but that's what DVRs are for and I think networks are trying to figure out some kind of ratings/tracking system for shows that are watched after their actual air times - a very common practice nowadays. 

Personally, I've never had confidence in the Nielson Ratings system.  I have never in my lifetime met someone who has had a Nielson box in their home or known anyone else to have either.  I know that I personally fall outside of the demographics range given to many shows that I watch (18-34), as are likely countless others, but that fact will never be known because my habits aren't being tabulated.  Question is, who ARE these Nielson families?  WHERE are they and what the heck ARE they watching?

Well, according the afore-mentioned ratings for this past week, these are the winners:

Two and  Half Men - heaven knows they promoted the season premiere enough and had a big enough watch-worthy event - the replacement of Charlie Sheen with Ashton Kutcher - so it's no surprise.  We'll have to see what happens next week.

Another non-surprise - Modern Family.  This is the steamroller of the TV landscape.  Seems it can do no wrong, Emmys sweep and all.  I have not watched the show yet only because I've always had viewing conflicts on that night but I believe it when I'm told how good it is and I'm looking forward to catching up with it when it inevitably comes to syndication.

Happily New Girl also had a big opening week.  I'm a fan, so I was pleased to hear it.

Strong but not stellar debuts/returns included How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, Person of Interest, Revenge and Raising Hope. Less than stellar but somewhat solid were the debuts of Charlie's Angels and Prime Suspect (I recommend watching the latter FAR more than the former...).

But the amount of series that all dropped in their numbers is staggering, even shows that have been considered mega-hits, like The Mentalist, Glee, Parks & Recreation and Dancing With the Stars.  And it doesn't seem to matter if the shows are on Monday, Wednesday or the dreaded Friday (which I think has the strongest lineup of shows in years, with Supernatural, Fringe and Nikita), or what network - all seemed to take hits.

Here are some other dippers:


Fringe
Kitchen Nightmares
Blue Bloods
Supernatural
Nikita
Hawaii Five-0
The Biggest Loser
90210
Ringer
Survivor
Up All Night
Harry's Law
America's Next Top Model
Community
The Office
Vampire Diaries
The Secret Circle

So what, pray tell, is everybody/anybody watching out there?  Please leave comments below and let me know what's in your To-View list.