Anyone for Defying Gravity?

[evcake]

Too much flashback, not enough outer space for me. Still, I'm sad to see any science fiction show leave the air.

[Kevin Thomas Riley]

Haven't seen it, but found these online:

‘Defying Gravity’: ABC’s New Must Watch Sci-Fi Series, which includes a trailer.

Collider Goes to the Set of DEFYING GRAVITY

[Alelou]

Well, more ominously, there's this: ABC letting Defying Gravity down

AND it has a picture of the ship. The show is doomed, but I really like that ship.

[justTripn]

I gave it a second chance. I watched three hours of the show last weekend, including the pilot all over again. Seems my DVR didn't record the whole first half hour of the show. STUPID DIRECT TV!!!! No wonder it didn't grab me the first time. I went back and saw the whole pilot and now it makes more sense. Well, at least I know what I don't know: what is in Pod 4? who is "Beta"? It's amusing. I finally figured out why the lead character looks so familiar. He used to be a CSI investigator on CSI Miami. I guess I like him. The woman he is paired with, Zoe, annoys me with her little smirks. I think several of the characters are meant to be annoying. Having watched two episodes, I'm going to guess that the whole mission is being run by a giant computer that is taking into account everything the characters say to their diaries. I find it very hard to believe that the characters would really talk to their diaries in that situation, since cameras are everywhere else on the ship and fifty people on Earth at mission control possibly watching their every move. If I had any private thoughts, I might think them quietly to myself. But you never know. On "Wife Swap," "Trading Spouses," and other reality shows, the participants always talk "privately" to a camera about what is happening on the show, and cry and express their innermost feelings, even though they know on some level that this private thoughts could be broadcast to the entire nation in the final edit of the episode. Maybe all the astronauts secretly want to the star of their reality show.

[Alelou]

LOL. Maybe they do. They sure don't have much privacy.

I wouldn't get attached if I were you. That show is sooooo dooooooommmmmmed.....

[TPoptarts]

I don't know about this show. I've been watching it from the beginning but so far I don't feel the slightest connection to any of the characters. And I think the pacing is too slow. And that stupid German or whatever chick annoys the hell out of me and I just wanna punch her in the face every time I see her. And I don't think the cast has enough chemistry. The Beta subplot thingy is more interesting but they don't use it enough, instead they try to base the show on the characters which IMO just doesn't work because the characters don't work. Not together and not on their own because they're just not interesting. I don't really do soaps in general, but I can usually take it if it's done well (and having a spaceship in the mix doesn't hurt either). But I don't think this one is done well, even for a soap. There isn't a single element there that works.

[Alelou]

But what do you REALLY think?

I saw another episode tonight (I just watch it online). I'm quite content to watch, but it's just so utterly unbelievable that any space program anywhere would manage to gather together a group of people so completely dysfunctional and then actually choose to put the very most dysfunctional ones among them on a six year mission together. I mean, it would take REAL EFFORT to be this incompetent at running a space program --and I say that even if ours did have a spurned astroanut stalking her rival while across the country in a car while wearing a diaper. I guess the only question is how much Beta in the closet there is actually making them all nuts, but judging from the flashbacks they come by it honestly.

(Hmm. I wonder if they used that in the pitch? "We want to start with a more realistic version of Star Trek but then mix it with Grey's Anatomy along with some flashbacks from Lost and some paranoia a la The X Files, and oh yeah, you know the chick who wore the diaper? And the manly stud those two astronaut chicks were fighting over? They're in it!!)

[TPoptarts]

What I really think is like I said that the show doesn't work. It's like totally flat and uninteresting in spite of and maybe because of the extraordinary efforts at I guess "fleshing out" the characters, their backgrounds, personalities, flaws, and differences. I don't think they did a good job on that, because the result is like you said unbelievable. They're not only dysfunctional, there's also a level of stereotypical and exaggerated, I don't know how such mixture of uh, what's the opposite of "qualities", that tries so hard to be so extreme and diverse, can turn out so incredibly bland for each standalone character AND for all of them together, and over all they're just not characters I can identify with or connect to at all. There isn't ONE that commands my interest. There isn't one that I actually care about. I don't even know the names of most of the characters. Because I just can't be bothered to care.

[Alelou]

I was asking it tongue in cheek, T'PopTarts. As in, "You couldn't possibly make your feelings any clearer, could you?"

One of the pitfalls of a purely written medium. I guess I needed a smiley.

[justTripn]

Oh dear, lol . . . well, T'Poptarts you aren't wrong. And I can't remeber their names either. I was getting on to say that I've watched all the episodes now that have aired. I enjoyed myself. The characters I thought were supposed to be annoying? The woman filming everything? Well I was right. She was supposed to be annoying, but I'm finally see what they are doing with her character and I like it. I like the developing friendship this ultra religious woman and that porn-loving math nerd. However, it feels like I'm wearing a "halo" because, for a story with like all these pairings and love triangles, I'm not getting into any of them. I was considering who I would ship for and I think it will be that biologist and her baby rabbit (I am enjoying the mother/pet rabbit relationship).

I an no longer annoyed by Zoe. She stopped smirking. And I liked it when her astrologist mother made a visit.

[Alelou]

I'm glad I'm not just out there all by my lonesome enjoying this show.

But I'm also glad I'm not shipping for anybody because it's DOOMED. Though who are we kidding, I could probably ship for Zoe and the ominously-named Donner in a minute if I thought there was any point in getting involved.

[justTripn]

Donnor is a good character. He has some "Trip-like" aspects. He does have a sad puppy-dog face. (Why don't his eyebrows don't line up, lol . . .) Actually, I don't really need to ship for a couple or be attracted to a character to like a show. One of the most involving shows of all time for me was "Six Feet Under." I didn't "like" any of the characters; as in I wouldn't be hanging out with them if I knew them in real life. But I identified strongly with them. Like I didn't "like" high-strung Ruth, the old lady who couldn't decide what to do with her inheritance or which boyfriend she liked, but I could totally relate to her. Same for every other character.

[Alelou]

I think I know what you mean. I watched the Sopranos with interest even though they were all a bunch of scumbags. (Though I probably wouldn't have if my husband didn't love it.) I watch True Blood with interest, too, even though I can't say I particularly sympathize with any of the characters.

Speaking of which, John Billingsley finally got to grope the girl this week. (But it was disgusting.) That whole show is way over the top. But my husband is addicted now, so I'm back to watching it.

[justTripn]

Oh, Defying Gravity is getting good! I just watched the Halloween episode. Zoe's dealing with

SPOILER!!!:

the abortion and everyone's reaction to it and "Beta" acting up. I can't anticipate what will happen next in any given episode, then when it plays out, you go AHH!!! OK. That makes sense. I wonder why that Russian woman is hallucinating about seeing herself with a beard. That is really spooky.

Oh, and they just took off the "HALO"s

[Alelou]

Your spoiler won't persuade anyone that it's not a soap opera in space, that's for sure.

I was wondering if I was hallucinating that bearded version of herself. Glad I'm not the only one. (And how come the slob is the only one not hallucinating?)

Hope they get to end this series, since it's plainly going to drop off the face of the Earth soon.