Extant: Season 1, Episode 5 “What on Earth Is Wrong?” (C-)
This was one of four shows I decided I would give up on if I didn’t like the next episode, and my min dis made up after this hour. This was a real mess, and the fact that it’s all shifted to trying to trick Molly into believing that she was never pregnant means that it’s ignoring the entire original premise: she got pregnant in space. For a show about an astronaut, this show has remained remarkably grounded on Earth, which is severely disappointing. Especially as Sam changes her story and everyone pretends that no one knew that Molly was pregnant, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to discern reality from what’s all in Molly’s head, and while that’s theoretically appealing, it does a practical disservice to the show since we’re being presented with everything frontally. That she had multiple nightmares before it was revealed that she and Ethan were both just unconscious in the woods doesn’t bring up positive memories of “Inception” but instead just makes everything more confusing, and not in a way that feels like it will be productive. We learned a lot about Grace Gummer’s Julie in this hour, particularly that she has prosthetic limbs, but ultimately she doesn’t serve much of a purpose other than to point out to John that he’s blinded by his emotional attachment to Ethan and his inability to separate what Ethan needs from what he needs. Those limbs are a perfect example of the cool technology, like the self-driving car, embedded in a show far less interesting than some of its parts.
Showing posts with label Extant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Extant. Show all posts
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Saturday, August 2, 2014
What I’m Watching: Extant
Extant: Season 1, Episode 4 “Shelter” (C-)
I think that’s it for me and this show. This installment essentially ignored the fact that Molly is an astronaut, turning it into a morality lesson about alcoholism and a paranoid thriller where all the bad guys are wearing suits and performing experiments. This seemed to be initially to be something far more interesting and creative than that, and it could have played out over much longer before falling apart like this. Now, where can this show go from here? The fact that Alan’s goons were able to deactivate Ethan’s battery so easily suggests that no one could possibly have the upper hand here aside from the evil corporation, and to me that’s a lot less interesting than aliens or whatever this show is purportedly about. Molly seeing her deceased astronaut friend sitting right next to John should be proof that it’s all in her head, though her antics when she woke up on the operating table all but confirm that she’s gone off the deep end and that people are out to get her, the ultimate definition of realized paranoia. Hideki doesn’t seem to have too much regard for human life as he wanted to be sure of the effectiveness of the work going on and felt it necessary to facilitate a man’s death. Molly’s father utilizing Ethan to win money in a bar game was highly ill-advised, and the only worthwhile thing to come from it was Ethan’s deliberate miss in an attempt to prove his imperfect nature.
I think that’s it for me and this show. This installment essentially ignored the fact that Molly is an astronaut, turning it into a morality lesson about alcoholism and a paranoid thriller where all the bad guys are wearing suits and performing experiments. This seemed to be initially to be something far more interesting and creative than that, and it could have played out over much longer before falling apart like this. Now, where can this show go from here? The fact that Alan’s goons were able to deactivate Ethan’s battery so easily suggests that no one could possibly have the upper hand here aside from the evil corporation, and to me that’s a lot less interesting than aliens or whatever this show is purportedly about. Molly seeing her deceased astronaut friend sitting right next to John should be proof that it’s all in her head, though her antics when she woke up on the operating table all but confirm that she’s gone off the deep end and that people are out to get her, the ultimate definition of realized paranoia. Hideki doesn’t seem to have too much regard for human life as he wanted to be sure of the effectiveness of the work going on and felt it necessary to facilitate a man’s death. Molly’s father utilizing Ethan to win money in a bar game was highly ill-advised, and the only worthwhile thing to come from it was Ethan’s deliberate miss in an attempt to prove his imperfect nature.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Take Three: Extant
Extant: Season 1, Episode 3 “Wish You Were Here” (C)
Things are moving at a fast pace on this show in terms of developments from which the show won’t be able to come back. It’s only a few episodes in and Alan has already played his hand to reveal that he wants to bring Molly in for “observation,” and that was only a short while after he came to her confessing his supposed ignorance to what was going on, something that she bought initially. Molly’s trusted ally, Sam, has now put herself in extreme danger by being present at the run-up to the attempted capture and quarantine of Molly, and though Molly managed to make her escape, I don’t think Sam will be nearly as fortunate. Molly’s shocking pregnancy was explained away pretty easily by a scientific experiment, painting John as the father without much doubt, which strikes me as far from likely. It was disconcerting but fairly obvious that the good old friend that Molly was talking to throughout her party wasn’t actually there, and just serves to underline the eeriness of it all, which doesn’t feel quite as compelling and creative as it should. Meanwhile, I can understand John and Molly’s desire to educate others about how their son is a real boy and should be treated as such rather than be ostracized, but Ethan is demonstrating some seriously sociopathic tendencies. On an unrelated but interesting note, this episode was titled “Wish You Were Here,” and actor Pierce Gagnon, who plays Ethan, also stars in “Wish I Was Here,” the new Zach Braff film that opened in New York last week.
Things are moving at a fast pace on this show in terms of developments from which the show won’t be able to come back. It’s only a few episodes in and Alan has already played his hand to reveal that he wants to bring Molly in for “observation,” and that was only a short while after he came to her confessing his supposed ignorance to what was going on, something that she bought initially. Molly’s trusted ally, Sam, has now put herself in extreme danger by being present at the run-up to the attempted capture and quarantine of Molly, and though Molly managed to make her escape, I don’t think Sam will be nearly as fortunate. Molly’s shocking pregnancy was explained away pretty easily by a scientific experiment, painting John as the father without much doubt, which strikes me as far from likely. It was disconcerting but fairly obvious that the good old friend that Molly was talking to throughout her party wasn’t actually there, and just serves to underline the eeriness of it all, which doesn’t feel quite as compelling and creative as it should. Meanwhile, I can understand John and Molly’s desire to educate others about how their son is a real boy and should be treated as such rather than be ostracized, but Ethan is demonstrating some seriously sociopathic tendencies. On an unrelated but interesting note, this episode was titled “Wish You Were Here,” and actor Pierce Gagnon, who plays Ethan, also stars in “Wish I Was Here,” the new Zach Braff film that opened in New York last week.
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Round Two: Extant
Extant: Season 1, Episode 2 “Extinct” (C+)
I didn’t comment last week on the fact that this show’s very brief opening credits display the word “extinct” before morphing it into “extant,” which to the best of my understanding means the opposite. Featuring a visit to a natural history museum is a bit of a direct and explicit way of analyzing the human race and where it’s headed, with Ethan as the artificial intelligence being who is self-aware enough to tell another computer that he’s not human and Molly pregnant with what may very well be an alien baby. It’s not entirely clear what’s going on and who’s responsible, though Hideki and Alan obviously know much more than they’re letting on and have some sort of sinister plan brewing. It’s going to be a long road until Molly finally confesses that she is with child to her husband, and I think that’s some relationship drama that could be lowered considerably by her coming clean instead of putting it off to drive him away even more in the interim. Brad Beyer’s deceased astronaut appears to be very much alive, showing up right in front of where Molly works to pick her up and rush her off to some secret place to converse and let her know what happened to him while he was away. I’m not so on board with his creepy mom following him around the ship with a longing look on her face since that’s pretty frightening, but his swift decision to airlock her is considerably more interesting and shows that he’s trying to be on top of his sanity, which isn’t an easy task on this show.
I didn’t comment last week on the fact that this show’s very brief opening credits display the word “extinct” before morphing it into “extant,” which to the best of my understanding means the opposite. Featuring a visit to a natural history museum is a bit of a direct and explicit way of analyzing the human race and where it’s headed, with Ethan as the artificial intelligence being who is self-aware enough to tell another computer that he’s not human and Molly pregnant with what may very well be an alien baby. It’s not entirely clear what’s going on and who’s responsible, though Hideki and Alan obviously know much more than they’re letting on and have some sort of sinister plan brewing. It’s going to be a long road until Molly finally confesses that she is with child to her husband, and I think that’s some relationship drama that could be lowered considerably by her coming clean instead of putting it off to drive him away even more in the interim. Brad Beyer’s deceased astronaut appears to be very much alive, showing up right in front of where Molly works to pick her up and rush her off to some secret place to converse and let her know what happened to him while he was away. I’m not so on board with his creepy mom following him around the ship with a longing look on her face since that’s pretty frightening, but his swift decision to airlock her is considerably more interesting and shows that he’s trying to be on top of his sanity, which isn’t an easy task on this show.
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Pilot Review: Extant
Extant (CBS)
Premiered July 9 at 8pm
Halle Berry doing television any time of the year on a cable network would be relatively surprising, therefore her headlining a summer show on CBS is even more interesting. An executive producer credit from Steven Spielberg adds considerable gravitas to this off-season sci-fi effort, and makes this easily one of the most alluring series of the summer. I’ve never found Berry to be a particularly terrific actress, Oscar win notwithstanding, but movie actors switching to television doesn’t almost mean top-notch acting. It’s more about the appeal of the project, and the fact that someone like Berry would be interested in taking on a weekly role. The plot here is definitely inviting, featuring a suspicious solo astronaut setup, and the very puzzling revelation that Berry’s Molly is pregnant. The suspenseful events aboard the ship were very well-done, and I wish that the episode as a whole was more about that than awkwardly creepy run-ins by the garbage can. I like the fact that Brad Beyer’s supposedly deceased astronaut is actually alive, but his “don’t trust anyone” warning felt a bit melodramatic and forced. I do like the cast, which includes Beyer of “Jericho,” Michael O’Neill of “24” and much since then, Goran Visjnic of “ER,” Hiroyuki Sanada, recently seen on “Helix,” Grace Gummer from “The Newsroom” and much more, and Camryn Manheim from “The Practice” and “Person of Interest.” They’re of more interest to me than Berry, and I think that this show might be able to prove a stirring summer series. I’m definitely up for another look.
How will it work as a series? Molly is going to have trouble keeping the fact that she is pregnant a secret, and Alan and Hideki are already making shady moves to ensure that she is under close surveillance. Robot Ethan adds an entirely different dimension of problems, as his emotions and whole personality are subject to the potential for serious malfunctions. To me, this has the making of a strong series.
How long will it last? CBS would love to have another hit to position alongside its breakout from last summer, “Under the Dome.” Unfortunately, this doesn’t appear to be it. Maybe its random mid-July launch explains it, but I think the ratings here won’t be enough for CBS, even though they’re pretty good compared to anything else. I see no reason why CBS wouldn’t air the initial thirteen episodes, but I doubt there’s more to come after that.
Pilot grade: B-
Premiered July 9 at 8pm
Halle Berry doing television any time of the year on a cable network would be relatively surprising, therefore her headlining a summer show on CBS is even more interesting. An executive producer credit from Steven Spielberg adds considerable gravitas to this off-season sci-fi effort, and makes this easily one of the most alluring series of the summer. I’ve never found Berry to be a particularly terrific actress, Oscar win notwithstanding, but movie actors switching to television doesn’t almost mean top-notch acting. It’s more about the appeal of the project, and the fact that someone like Berry would be interested in taking on a weekly role. The plot here is definitely inviting, featuring a suspicious solo astronaut setup, and the very puzzling revelation that Berry’s Molly is pregnant. The suspenseful events aboard the ship were very well-done, and I wish that the episode as a whole was more about that than awkwardly creepy run-ins by the garbage can. I like the fact that Brad Beyer’s supposedly deceased astronaut is actually alive, but his “don’t trust anyone” warning felt a bit melodramatic and forced. I do like the cast, which includes Beyer of “Jericho,” Michael O’Neill of “24” and much since then, Goran Visjnic of “ER,” Hiroyuki Sanada, recently seen on “Helix,” Grace Gummer from “The Newsroom” and much more, and Camryn Manheim from “The Practice” and “Person of Interest.” They’re of more interest to me than Berry, and I think that this show might be able to prove a stirring summer series. I’m definitely up for another look.
How will it work as a series? Molly is going to have trouble keeping the fact that she is pregnant a secret, and Alan and Hideki are already making shady moves to ensure that she is under close surveillance. Robot Ethan adds an entirely different dimension of problems, as his emotions and whole personality are subject to the potential for serious malfunctions. To me, this has the making of a strong series.
How long will it last? CBS would love to have another hit to position alongside its breakout from last summer, “Under the Dome.” Unfortunately, this doesn’t appear to be it. Maybe its random mid-July launch explains it, but I think the ratings here won’t be enough for CBS, even though they’re pretty good compared to anything else. I see no reason why CBS wouldn’t air the initial thirteen episodes, but I doubt there’s more to come after that.
Pilot grade: B-
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