FanDominion

As I turned on my TV to watch the premiere episode of Sci Fi Channel’s newest series (Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT), the re-imagining of Flash Gordon, I went into the experience having very low expectations after reading various reviews calling the show dreadful and other, less-kind words

Additionally, I have never been a fan of anything done my RHI Entertainment. This is the Halmi crud factory that ruined Earthsea a few years ago.

But as the credits rolled, I watched the show. I was not as disappointed as I had thought I would be. In fact, many parts I really liked and some show promise that belie the wonderful story about Flash Gordon originally created as a comic strip almost 100 years ago.

On first impression, it appears that after getting a 2-hour movie from RHI, the Sci Fi editing wizards cut out much of the RHI crap and got a so-so 90 minute pilot out of the deal. With an order for 10 more episodes, Sci Fi got a “full” season.

The channel also took an ownership stake in the series and is said to have majorly reorganized the writing and production staff to the extent that the show by mid-season is vastly improved from the pilot.

Let’s hope so.

It’s not that this show is horrible. It’s just merely OK in parts and disappointing in others. Some of the changes to bring Flash into the 21st century are well-done. Others … not.

The back story  of the series, although different from the original, was updated nicely. I like the fact that Flash and Dale have a past and that Dale is not damsel-in-distress-ish at all. 

But, the back story of Flash’s missing father is cliche crap and way too Disney-esque.

This brings us to the tone of the show, its biggest change. RHI took the first grand space opera of Western civilization and turned it into a character-driven action procedural.

Now, I understand that the lack of space ships and associated special effects helps keep the budget manageable, but it hurts the Flash Gordon legacy that fans have come to expect.

It is sorta like the producers saw the success of portal-jumpers Doctor Who and Stargate decided to re-make Flash in their image. But didn’t quite get it right the first time out of the starting blocks.

The Cast

Canadian Eric Johnson (Smallville) plays the title role as Flash. Traditionally, the Flash character has been the ultimate “he-man” type. But Johnson just doesn’t fit that part physically. Sure, he’s got a nice bod and doesn’t disappoint beefcake fans in the pecs department in his shirtless scenes, but his features are a goofy/delicate mix that makes him look a tad bit scrawny despite the nice arms and chest. Acting-wise Johnson’s ability exceeded the material he was given in the pilot by a long shot. Let’s hope the rumors are true that Sci Fi replaced the writing staff with those who better understand what the channel’s fannish audience expects from its heroes.

Another Canadian, Jody Raciot (Stargate SG-1), plays Hans Zarkov. Not to slight Mr. Raciot, but this character is one of the biggest disappointments of the series pilot. Raciot has done stellar work in the past, even winning the Canadian equivalent of an Emmy for best actor in SG1.  But his character in Flash is written so poorly that he comes off as a babbling idiot in the first episode.

Worse yet, and perhaps the biggest disappointment is with the casting of John Ralston as seminal bad guy, Ming The Merciless. Bad, bad … bad. Again, not to pick on Mr. Ralston, but he does not match his part at all. It reminds me of the first few episodes of Farscape where that show’s producers tried to make Captain Crais the main baddie – but he was too bland. The same principle applies here. Ming must be a lot more Scorpius and a lot less Donald Trump. [Maybe Sci Fi realized this in that according to IMDB, Ming is only in two episodes of the series. (Of course, this could change)]

A better baddie than Ming – even in the pilot episode – is Jonathan Walker (The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne) as Rankol, a deranged inquisitor of the icky sort. He’s creepy, mean and downright gross. EXACTLY the kind of evil villain Flash Gordon should be facing week-in and week-out.

Perhaps the biggest “star” of the new Flash is Gina Holden (Blood Ties, Alien vs. Preditor 2), who plays Dale Arden. No swooning damsel, Dale is a tele-journalist and apparently smarter than Flash. Like the rest of the actors, she outshined the script by leaps and bounds. Luckily she does have a tangible chemistry with Johnson, which should help the show a lot among fans of Flash/Dale romantic story arcs (and the fan fic circles).

The most surprisingly good casting maneuver was with the choice of Karen Cliche (Mutant X, Dresden Files) as Baylin the Bounty Hunter. In what appears to be the only original character to this new series, Baylin has the makings of a kick-butt anti-heroine who can draw in the Xena fans, if written correctly in future episodes.

And what is Flash Gordon without a requisite evil slut? Here we have Anna Van Hooft (Trollz) playing Princess Aura. She does an OK job portraying a power-hungry wench with really bad dialogue.

Again, I think the talent of the actors exceeded the direction and the writing. Let’s hope now that Sci Fi has a show runner and ownership stake in the series both writing and direction are fixed, similar to what they did with Eureka.

Future Cast

For a sneak peek at who will be joining the cast of Flash Gordon in future episodes:

• Steve Bacic (Andromeda) as Barin

Special Effects

I’ve seen worse. I’ve seen much better. This falls into the same “so-so” category as The Chronicle and early Doctor Who. Not good enough to make you forget you are watching a fake story. But good enough to get the idea across without being too laughable. Hopefully, these will improve as the series progresses.

Costumes? Right out of the same nightmare closet as Lexx. The woot (and not a good woot) appeal was very high.

HDTV format

The series is being repeat broadcast in high-definition on the Universal HD channel Sundays at 9 p.m.. Upon viewing the pilot, I believe the makeup artists need better training on how to do makeup for an HD series (use airguns instead of sponges – you can see streaks on the actors’ faces).

The special effects also looked less special due to the increased detail of High-Def. I’m hoping that Sci Fi’s handiwork and experience with BSG can help fix this.

Overall impression

The look and feel of the pilot episode of Flash Gordon was either not campy or not serious enough. I can’t tell which. But either way it didn’t quite get any “wow effect” out of this viewer.

On the other hand, the eye-candy appeal of the actors is a bonus. Now, they need to fire the dialogue writers and get some real character development in this series.

But listening to what rumor mill coming from Sci Fi has been saying, the show starts taking on a tighter and more original feel at about episode 4 or 5.

That said, this show has the potential to go either way.

With Sci Fi possibly losing (or so the rumors say) new Doctor Who episodes to BBC America after this season, the channel really needs a light family-friendly adventure series to replace it. This could be that show – if it is improved in the right places.

Final verdict
Compared to summer reality TV – I’d rather watch Flash Gordon by a long shot. It was not a waste of my time, but it was not even close to being what it should be, either. The final product succeeded to transcend the RHI dreck machine – which was a surprise.

3 out of 5 stars.

Ghost Whisperer (CBS, Fridays 8/7c p.m.)
{NO SPOILERS}

Premise: Young married woman sees dead people and helps them cross over to the other side.

OK, before I start this review, I have a few things I must come clean with: I am not a Jennifer Love Hewitt fan, I think the title of this show is stupid and I think the premise is tired and subject to devolving into smarmy cliche after a few episodes. Also, I have been known to make snide comments about this show before it began, calling it “Touched by a Medium” and such.

But despite all of that, I actually liked the new CBS series Ghost Whisperer enough to recommend it (and added it to my TiVo season pass at least until Stargate:SG1 comes back with original episodes in January). Because as a light fantasy show, it works.

The premise is a little too familiar as psychic woman sees dead people while her family and friends cope with the consequences. Sounds an awful lot like Medium, right? Yep. It does.

The show then throws in big heaping helping of Touched by an Angel and a smattering of Dead Like Me all in a guest-star-of-the-week format.

That format is fairly predictable. Each episode starts with some sort of crisis where Hewitt’s character meets a ghost. Hijinks ensue before an inevitable conflict. Then it all ends with a “touching” Hallmark moment. Ugh.

It is suprising when you consider how much I was ready to hate this series that upon watching Ghost Whisperer, I was pleasantly surprised. The show is good despite itself. I blame the writers and directors for this.

The cast

Jennifer Love Hewitt plays psychic “Melinda Gordon.” She pulls off the role well enough. She is s competent actress – although kinda goofy looking in a prematurely aging, but endearing way.

(It’s been a decade since she became the resident pin-up girl from the FOX teen soap opera Party of Five. I have to tell you, that I never understood why she was considered a great beauty of the mid-1990s. Sure at the time, she fulfilled any girl-chasing teenage boy’s requirements: clear skin, thin waist and huge breasts. But now, at age 26, as Hewitt’s two biggest assets are starting to sag, her other physical flaws are intensified. She has a pinched nose, gigantic ears and the beginnings of major sun damage to her once flawless skin.)

Melinda’s husband, “Jim Clancy,” a paramedic, is played by a young-looking 38-year-old David Conrad (Wedding Crashers, Boston Public, Roswell). It’s always nice to have a paramedic husband around to help a ghost-whispering psychic deal with those near-death revival experiences, right? Conrad plays his role as the understanding hubby well.

The stand-out performance is by actress Aisha Tyler (CSI, Friends, Talk Soup) as “Andrea Moreno.” In what could have been a throw-away smart-mouthed minority sidekick part, Tyler fully inhabits her role; easily moving from drama to comedy within the same scene. Her one-liners are inspired. She should be the star of this show.

Resembling a younger Vanessa L. Williams (former Miss America), when it comes to the eye candy factor. Hewitt pales in comparison to Tyler. Add in her acting talents (which are many), if there is any justice in the universe, Aisha Tyler will be a household name in a few years.

Night Stalker (ABC, Thursdays 9/8c p.m.)
{NO SPOILERS}

Premise: In this re-imagining of the 1970s classic, journalist Kolchak investigates and reports on not-so-run-of-the-mill crimes.

As you may know, the 1990s FOX hit science fiction series X-Files was loosely based on a failed 1974 series called, Kolchak: The Night Stalker which only ran for one season.

Last year Frank Spotnitz, the Emmy-nominated writer and producer of the X-Files convinced ABC network officials to re-make the failed 1970s series for a modern audience. This is not unprecedented. The Sci Fi channel remade the failed 1970s series Battlestar Galactica for a modern audience and achieved critical and ratings success.

There are quite a few drastic changes between the original Kolchak and the new Night Stalker. Gone are the gritty Chicago locations, the lone wolf mentality the 50-something almost-washed-up antihero and the slow, thoughtful pace of the original.

Those have been traded in for the seamier side of Southern California, a 20-something pretty boy with a reluctant partner (or two), and the fast pace and quick editing that modern audiences apparently require.

For those who remember the original or watched its reruns on the Trio or Sci Fi channels in recent years, the first Kolchak was a thoughtful, sometimes pondering potboiler with a healthy influence from both H.P. Lovecraft and 1970s pop cultural camp humor.

The new series is also a product of its time. Today’s Night Stalker continues the Lovecraftian practice of the original where merely scratching the surface of the obvious uncovers a hidden, darker influence on today’s evils. But adds in the post 9-11 seriousness that has come to mark most modern American drama.

Furthermore, Spotnitz was obviously still in X-Files mode when he created this update of the series. In most of the scenes, the new Kolchak approaches most situations exactly like Mulder would. And the newly added character of “Perri Reed” is just as doubting and just as intelligent and witty and beautiful as Scully ever was.

The Cast

The Character of Carl Kolchak has Irish 32-year-old actor Stuart Townsend (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Queen of the Damned) reprising the role made immortal among cult fans by the gruff Darren McGavin (who was 52 when he played the character in 1974).

Physically, Townsend has a waifish, Johnny Depp-like look and feel to him. He is not physically intimidating, but projects an air of danger or possibility. This is probably why he tends to land vampire roles in films.

Speaking with a perfected American accent, Townsend plays Kolchak as a scrappy optimistic who occasionally reveals hints of his painful past.

Townsend’s character is unwillingly partnered with “Perri Reed,” as played by American actress Gabrielle Union (City of Angels, Star Trek: DS9).

If you do a stylistic comparison between X-Files and Night Stalker, Union’s “Reed” looks, dresses and talks like an African American “Dana Scully.” But somehow it works since Union does it so well – and in a way that does not look or feel derivative to audience.

The Competition

So, we have a nicely-remade and very well-written series with capable and attractive actors. There is one big problem.

ABC scheduled Night Stalker to air on Thursday nights at 9 p.m. where it faces competition from ratings juggernauts, CSI and The Apprentice. Those two series are at their creative peak and steal so much of the Thursday night viewing audience; hardly any show could stand up to their competition.

Unless ABC moves the show to a new day or time, Don’t be surprised if the new Night Stalker has a shorter lifespan than the original series and its 20-episode run.

Invasion (ABC, Wednesdays 10/9c p.m.)
{NO SPOILERS}

Premise: After a relaxing trip to southern Florida and you see the light, you’ll never be the same.

It’s about time Shaun Cassidy had a hit show.

The man may be best known to mainstream Baby Boomers as “Joe Hardy” one of the Hardy Boys in the 1970s or as a teen pin-up. But as a writer, he has been chalking up creative triumphs in genre TV for the past decade.

Cassidy is the creator of a handful of cult TV favorites among sci fi and fantasy fans. It started in 1995 with American Gothic, then Roar in 1997, Hollyweird in 1998. Besides excellent writing and genuinely creepy good fun, each of these series shared a common thread: cancellation for lack of ratings.

And now comes Cassidy’s Invasion.

The ABC network gods must have been smiling on Mr. Cassidy. He got the luckiest of breaks when some honcho decided to schedule Invasion in the safe haven (and protective shadow) of the network’s mega-hit, Lost.

Because of this, out of the handful of new science fiction or fantasy-flavored TV series debuting this season, ABC’s Invasion has been the most commercially successful. The show consistently dominates the 10 p.m. time period and is the No. 2 most-watched show Wednesday nights, second only to Lost.

So after years of commercial failure, Cassidy has his first bona fide hit.

As a science fiction show, Invasion tackles a familiar theme among network sci fi offerings this year: Invaders (aliens) are hellbent on displacing humanity as the dominant life form on Earth.

Or so I think.

After watching three episodes of this very well written program, I can confidently tell you only two things:

1. I like the show and highly recommend it.
2. I have absolutely no idea what is going on (except that I won’t be swimming in the Everglades anytime soon).

The characters

The plot of the show basically surrounds the modern family – or the families of two couples in Florida:

• Sheriff Tom Underlay (William Fichtner, Mr. & Mrs. Smith; Empire Falls) and Dr. Mariel Underlay (Kari Matchett, Wonderfalls), and;
• Forest ranger Russell Varon (Eddie Cibrian, Third Watch; But I’m a Cheerleader) and TV reporter Larkin Groves (Lisa Sheridan, FreakyLinks).

The couples share a semi-blended family due to a previous marriage of Cibrian and Matchett’s characters. Cibrian plays the weekend dad to their two children (Evan Peters as “Jesse” and cute-as-a-button Ariel Gade as “Rose”).

I really like how Cassidy handled this aspect of the show. Neither parent on either side of the divorce is seen as the “bad guy.” Cibrian and Matchett have a definite chemistry and act like two people coping with a failed marriage and moving on with their lives. But there is a lingering feeling of what each meant to the other once. Nice.

Added into the mix are Kira Underlay (Alexis Dziena, Joan of Arcadia) as the sheriff’s mouthy teenage daughter from a previous marriage and Dave Groves (Tyler Labine, Dark Angel)
as the slacker brother of the TV reporter.

The Dave Groves character is a typical sci fi scruffy computer geek. If his mom was in the cast, Dave would be living in her basement. But he is fun, and the only one on the show with any comprehension of the big picture.

As a sign of the times, Dave, an Agent Mulder-type believer, also is a blogger. He supposedly has a devoted Internet fan base, or so he thinks.

(This provides for an interesting marketing technique for ABC. The invasion web site: http://abc.go.com/primetime/invasion is a recreation of Dave’s blog. For all intents and purposes, it appears to be a real functioning blog, too. Nifty, huh?)

The rundown

But these semi-happy family lives are interrupted when a major hurricane hits Florida. AND SOMETHING STRANGE HAPPENS – always a good premise for a sci fi show. And it’s good stuff, usually.

Like Lost, Invasion is all about teasing the audience with snippets of what is really going on. This is a mark of a grand story arc that unfolds in a steady – and surprising way.

ABC learned its lessons from The WB last year – “cast gorgeous and quirky people in your shows and have them deal with impossible situations.” It worked with Lost and Desperate Housewives last year. Now it looks like ABC has yet another hit on its hands with Invasion.

Threshold (CBS, Fridays 9/8c p.m.)
{NO SPOILERS}

Premise: Something’s out there and it thinks humanity is in need of an upgrade.

One thing really irks me about how CBS is marketing its new science fiction drama, Threshold. The network is following the recent trend of having an obviously science fictional show – but not describing it as “science fiction.”

The Sci Fi Channel is doing the same with Battlestar Galactica. Hello, aliens’ traveling through space trying to wipe out humanity is definitely science fiction.

Anyway back to Threshold, the latest offering by Brannan Braga, the executive producer, who along with Rick Berman, is credited by many fans with ruining the Star Trek franchise with the very weak Star Trek: Enterprise on UPN. Enterprise was mercifully cancelled after four years (the fourth year was only made to ensure enough episodes for syndication, and interestingly enough was better than the first three years combined).

In Threshold, Braga develops an idea created by Bragi F. Schut (who brought us Average Joe) and, at first glance, Threshold appears to me more grounded in feasible science than Trek. Unlike Star Trek, interstellar travel is not feasible. Aliens invade Earth (this is not a spoiler, it happens in the first few seconds of the pilot episode) by using interdimensional travel.

Still, according to the CBS web site, Threshold is not science fiction. It is a so-called “suspenseful drama.” Go figure.

Anyway, this program is light years better than Enterprise in that the plots are engaging and the characters are fully drawn. The show also uses a Joss Whedonesque ensemble cast peppered with quotable, witty dialogue, not the monotonous overbearing kitschfest that was Enterprise banter.

Threshold’s Scooby Gang is set in the present day and aims to thwart an alien attack bent on wiping out the human race. (Where’s Apollo and Starbuck when you need them?)

Here’s the catch: our Scooby Gang isn’t fighting against a government cover up… Oh no, they are the government cover up. (Can’t you just imagine Braga patting himself on the back for that one?)

The Cast

Heading up the gang is a strong woman, “Dr. Molly Ann Caffrey,” Played by Carla Gugino (Karen Sisco). Gugino handles her role well, and plays well the reluctant manager called in to head up a secret government project. Being the only female in the gang, she also has to serve the role of resident Brainy Babe and occasional Damsel in Nightie.

Her key to government resources is the character “J.T. Baylock,” a National Security Advisor played by the underused Charles S. Dutton. I guess you could call his role, The Bureaucrat.

Then there is The Hunk, the covert “ghost agent” operative U.S. agent. Known only by the “Agent Cavennaugh,” (not his real name, or so we are told) the part is played by Brian Van Holt (House of Wax). It doesn’t take Van Holt’s acting prowess long to throw off the hunk-label to prove he has the acting chops to play his part well.

Rounding out the gang is a trio of nerds, stereotypical sci fi archetypes:

• “Dr. Nigel Fenway,” a former NASA microbiologist, portrayed by Brent Spiner (Star Trek: The Next Generation) who is cast as the Know-it-All Doctor with the Bad Bedside Manner;
• “Lucas Pegg,” a physicist portrayed by Rob Benedict (Birds of Prey, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) who is cast as Amazing Neurotic Man; and,
• The womanizing “Arthur Ramsey,” a mathematician and linguist played by Peter Dinklage (Elf) cast as The Man with the Disability No One Mentions.

Of the bunch, Dinklage and Benedict are standouts, rising above their bit parts and turning in some of the most memorable performances. They also should be thanking the writers for some pretty great dialogue. Next up would be Van Holt’s pigeon-hole busting performance and Spiner, who successfully tosses aside his image as Star Trek’s “Data.”

In all, the series, judging as well as one can by only seeing the first four episodes, is a solid piece of work and well worth checking out.

Some adult themes and violence.

Surface (NBC, Mondays 8/7c p.m.)
{NO SPOILERS}

Premise: Something’s out there, it lives below us … and it is hungry.

When it comes to science fiction programming, NBC’s track record has been hit-or-miss – usually miss. In fact most people would be hard pressed to pick out a culturally significant sci fi show on the network since the mid-1960s when it debuted Star Trek.

As you may recall, after NBC’s short-sighted suits booted Trek to an early grave, its sci fi offerings included such dubious treats as Misfits of Science and Manimal.

There was a glimmer of hope in May 2004, as NBC merged with Universal Studios and gained the USA Network and the Sci Fi channel. With that move, the network also gained an outstanding legacy of science fiction, fantasy and horror.

Since the 1930s and 1940s, Universal films made cultural icons out of such fantastic creatures as Dracula, the Wolfman, the Mummy, and Frankenstein. Universal also is the home of E.T.

The USA network has had repeated successes with The 4400 and Dead Zone, among others. With Sci Fi, the name of the channel pretty much speaks for itself.

One of the first moves of the new NBC Universal was to green light a Sci Fi channel remake of the 1978 series, Battlestar Galactica. And it is good – very good.

So, with this influx of sci fi know-how from Universal and the programming talent of its new cable channels, the question before I plopped my butt in front of the TV for the first episode of Surface was: Does NBC now have what it takes to make a hit science fiction TV show?

From my first impression, the answer is no.

Don’t get me wrong. Surface does have its good points. The fact it replaced the god-awful Fear Factor alone has me hoping Surface grows and thrives with a healthy audience for years to come.

As a work of science fiction, the series shows promise. Some of the special effects are blended flawlessly into real footage, especially the underwater footage. The acting is topnotch. The dialogue is spot on.

But there is a problem. In general, although I love science fiction and I love TV, for some reason I don’t love Surface. There is no single big factor for this lack of love. The series is good, yes. It’s just not great.

The show does have some fixable flaws:

• The subplots: Most likely inspired by Lost, the producer/writers of Surface are keeping audiences befuddled and teasing them with possibilities. That is good. But, the filler subplots are meandering and downright boring.
• The casting: First, I want to applaud the producers for picking a cast who looks like normal folk in any (predominately white) neighborhood. The lead female character, “Laura,” is played by Lake Bell (Boston Legal, The Practice) [makes one wonder if she has siblings named Dinner and Cow].
  
  Bell is attractive enough and believable as a hands-on academic. But, the way she portrays Laura left this viewer detached. A lead actress needs to be able to make an audience feel her pains and actually care about her as a person. Sadly, Bell fails at this.

  I haven’t been this turned off by a lead character of a new sci fi show like this since the first Season of Babylon 5, where the bland Michael O’Hare played “Commander Jeffrey Sinclair.” His ho-hum acting made me tune out of that show after just three airings. (Like many others, I later came back to the series once he was replaced.)
  
  Then there is 14-year-old Carter Jenkins (Bad News Bears) as “Miles.” His interactions with the beasties are played as comic relief. I found myself more than once wishing the hungry critters would turn and devour him, his friend and his entire boring family.

  Speaking of the family, there is one continuity error with Surface that I cannot forgive. In the pilot episode, Miles mother is played by the very recognizable Jessica Tuck (the neurotic “Gillian” on Judging Amy), then in a soap opera-type switcheroo, by the second episode the talented Tuck was chucked for a new, and probably cheaper to pay, actress.

  Now Tuck’s part was very small in the first episode, I can’t figure out for the life of me why the producers didn’t just re-shoot those scenes in the pilot with the new actress. This kind of wife-swap just looks unprofessional, especially to fans of Tuck. Hrmph.

  One bright spot in the cast is the character “Rich Connelly,” as played by Jay R. Ferguson (Dr. Todd Hooper on Judging Amy). Ferguson hits all the right notes, is empathetic to the audience and is eclipsing Bell as the heart of this show.

  My one reservation about Ferguson is that he doesn’t look like a leading man. His face is nice to look at, but he is rather on the pudgy side as far as TV folk’s bodies go. Maybe that was a conscious decision of the producers, being that his character is from the rural Louisiana bayous.

  I guess we’re supposed to assume that all the physically fit people in the U.S. live in the big city.

• Plot holes: Aside from some seriously questionable science, the show has quite a few gaping plot holes which I will not go into now to keep from spoiling the series for folks who have yet to see it for themselves.

  Let’s just say that Surface has its fair share of “skiffy,” an old term among science fiction fans to point out very weak science and inplausable physics, or just bad writing.

Some adult themes and violence.