Terra Nova

Terra Nova had its season finale earlier this week, so I’m gonna talk a bit about that. I really like this show, which isn't surprising at all because 1) it's science fiction, 2) it has dinosaurs in it, and 3) it has Jason O’Mara in it. It also has Stephen Lang but I love this guy so that's a bonus despite the fact he was in the worst movie of all time Avatar. Oh, I haven't done my Avatar rant yet? I'll get to that soon. 

Anyway, for those who don't know, Terra Nova is about a group of people who have been sent back 85 MILLION years in the past in an alternate time line in order to give humanity a second chance. According to this series, humans have royally messed up the earth to the point that in 2149 we have to walk about with oxygen tanks because the air isn't fit to be breathed. But someone found a rip in space and time and they have decided to send back a bunch of Americans and Australians through to the past.

But not our past, a different past.

If it was our past then this would mess with the future but they're not doing that... or are they?

Another reason why I like this show is that there are a lot of questions being asked of everybody. Lang plays Commander Taylor whom I just adore, and Taylor believes wholeheartedly in the terra nova project of giving people a second chance. But he has a nasty habit of sounding like he's only telling you half the story. If he were to walk up to you and say you look nice today you'd leave the conversation thinking you've got something in your teeth. There is also another faction referred to as the sixers who are trying to make the portal go both ways so things from the past can be taken to the future. Naturally this would be bad for the past because corporations would just take everything profitable and not care about the rest.

There’s a lot to think about in this show, but it's also a bit of fun. Half of the main cast are children so we get to see some of their issues, like first dates ad just wacky fun with dinosaurs. And all the kids are great actor’s too so it's not boring to see their storylines. 

Personally I think the 'bad' characters could be a bit more fleshed out but apart from this I really enjoy the show and love the finale. I really hope we get a second season because it ended on a bit of a cliff hanger. I also want a second season because the show was filmed quite near where I live and I want Australia to get more or a name for itself in film and TV. Plus this would show the heads of the Australian film 'industry' that sci-fi is nothing to be laughed at. 

Let me know what you think of Terra Nova. 

Kathy

Themes: terra nova, science fiction, sci fi, Terra Nova, Jason O'Mara, Jim Shannon, Stephen Lang, Slang, Australia, Sci-Fi, tv shows, TV series, TV, dinosaurs

Do we want more Firefly?

Today Nathan Fillion, star of Firefly, Castle, and Doctor Horrible's Sing-along Blog, posted a link to this site on his Twitter page. If you can't be bothered to read the whole thing, the article basically says that with the popularity of Firefly on Netflix the cancelled TV series could be back on our screens (or monitors) sooner rather than later. 

Now, I'm a huuuuuge Firefly and Serenity fan but I'm not sure if I want it back. Before you start throwing the tomatoes, here me out:

Yes, Firefly only got 13 episodes in total and some of these weren't even aired the first time around, but all of those 13 were gold. There was not one really hideously bad episode in the bunch. I wouldn't skip any of them during a rewatch and I will gladly sit down and watch any one of them at any time. 

Thirteen episodes also means that there wasn't enough time for any of the characters to annoy me. Sure Wash is my favourite, but I don't particularly hate any character or fast forward past their scenes when they come on. 

And while I want answers to things, the short run means that there wasn't enough time for the writers to come up with lame excuses for things. We as fans get to decide why characters act in a certain way and create our own back stories for them. I have my own ideas about Jayne's childhood that I don't want to see ruined with an episode that shows something completely different. My ideas might not be cannon to Joss Whedon but I love them so they are real to me. 

And finally, 13 means that we are bonded by something; the fight for the movie. Every one of us Serenity and Firefly fans played a part in the revival. We all worked together by buying the DVDs or encouraging others to buy them, by putting up flyers, and by seeing the movie multiple times on the big screen (three for me). We did this. Maybe you did this to bring it back on the TV but I did it because I love it. 

I know that the cast and crew would jump at the chance to act in the second season of Firefly and I would watch it in a heartbeat, but I'm not sure if I want it to happen or that I would even be happy with the outcome. 

So what do you all think? Am I getting worried over nothing? Let me know in the comments. 

Also, stay tuned for some more blogs on happier topics thanks to I'm Not Hannah's Hap, Hap, Happy Holidays.

Kathy

Themes: Firefly, science fiction, Serenity, Nathan Fillion, Mal, movies, Joss Whedon, joss, Jayne, hero of canton

Top Female Characters On TV #3

It's a sad day when you realise you have made a huge mistake on your blog but nobody corrected you. I guess no one reads these blogs, but it's okay because while it would be nice to have someone read what I write I know I've only been doing this for less than a year, and it's gonna take some time to build up a fan base. The last post I wrote listed Laura Roslin as entrant number 5, but that was Christina Yang. Roslin is number 4. 


This weeks entry goes to my third favourite female character on TV: Claudia Donovan

I don't own this photo, but how adorable is it?

Claudia is such a tremendous female character on TV, and it speaks to the intelligence of writers on TV because there are now a lot of flawed characters on TV. Looking back even a few years on TV most of the main female leads are just cookie-cutter perfect. Claudia is fantastic at her job, but she is in no way perfect.

Young Claudia begins her stint in the hit SyFy series Warehouse 13 as a slightly tweeked hacker who kidnaps Warehouse agent Artie to force him to bring her brother back into existence. I love Claudia for this because her brother raised her, he is her only ‘real’ family. When she thought she was going crazy and seeing his ghost floating around, she checked herself into a mental hospital to get some help, but when she found out that Joshua wasn’t really dead she did everything in her power to bring him back.

Even though she has all these amazing abilities, one of the reasons I love Claudia is because she isn’t perfect. Claudia is very confident of her own abilities, and with good reason, but because of her intelligence and way of life she has very poor self confidence around people her own age, especially with males. The limited times we have seen her with young men she is always awkward, scared, and very un-Claudia.

Claudia is also trying to change this and to be a better Warehouse agent. She isn’t going to be a full agent right away---she is only 20---but she is trying to do her best and learning. Every episode, Claudia is moving and growing. Allison Scagliotti is a fabulous young actress who has a big future ahead of her; I only hope that she spends a lot of time on Warehouse 13.

Claudia only got three votes on my FaceBook poll. 

So what does everyone else think about Claudia? Does she deserve this spot on the list, or could she be higher? Let me know in the comments... if anyone is reading this :P

Kathy

Themes: Top Female Characters on TV, Favourite Female Characters, Claudia Donovan, Allison Scagliotti, Alison Scagliotti, Scag, science fiction

Top Female Characters on TV #12 (BEDA #12)

First of all, happy birthday Glenn!

Now that's out of the way, here is the first in my new series, Top Female Characters on TV. I have twelve of these, plus some extras and special mentions, and even a guest blogger! Exciting, yay!

I put up a poll on FaceBook about this, and I will talk about those results here, too. 

Without further ado, here is number 12: Adele DeWitt (Dollhouse)

For the short-lived duration of Dollhouse, Adele was the epitome of awesome. She was a woman who was put in horrible situations and decided to say ‘no’ and fight for the good. This wasn’t the typical fighting for good like the other characters you will see on this list, but Adele did what she could with what she had. It’s obvious that the Dollhouse has changed what it was when Adele first joined, but by then it had gone too far. Or maybe she always had thoughts that it was going to go bad, but Adele has seen the bad that has happened and the worse that is to come and yet she continues to stand up with them if only to get the opportunity to stab them in the back. It was no revelation to me when it was revealed that Adele put Echo in the attic for a reason; I already knew that she was ‘good’ and doing everything she could to help out her dolls.

Adele DeWitt received no votes on my favourite female character in a TV series poll on FaceBook. 

What do you think? Would Adele make your top twelve, or would she top it? Let me know in the comments, and keep checking in to see the rest on the list!

Kathy

Themes: Dollhouse, Top Female Characters on TV, Adele DeWitt, TV, science fiction

Book Time! The Night Creatures: Burn Bright

I don't own the copyright to this image, if you do please let me know

Article first published as Book Review: The Night Creatures: Burn Bright by Marianne de Pierre on Blogcritics.

I’m not gonna lie; I love Marianne de Pierres's work. She and I have met a number of times at conventions, and she is such a lovely and down-to-earth person, despite her worldwide following. I say this now so that when I say that I read this book honestly I hope you believe me. I am an avid reader and I rarely continue to read something if I don’t like it. I finished Burn Bright in two days: it’s just that good.

Burn Bright is a young adult supernatural thriller that is actually thrilling. There are no long monologues of self doubt or emphasis on a love triangle — although there are some of these. This isn’t a story about a love — sick young girl trying to make a man love her; this is about a lonely and isolated young woman who wants to find her brother.

Retra is an interesting character for a lead in a series. Raised in an enclosed society (think Amish mixed with Orthodox Jew), her brother ran away to join the land of Ixion, of never-ending night. When life got too bad for Retra, she decided to join him, and this is where the story begins.

Ixion is an island of partying. Young people from all over the area escape from home in the dead of night to a place where dancing and having fun is the only way of life. Their metabolism is altered so they don’t need a lot of sleep, meaning that they can party hard with little consequences. Or so the tale goes. Lead character Retra and her fellow "baby bats" Rollo and Suki find out soon that all is not that it seems, and some people have very different ideas as to what "party" really means.

What makes Retra such a great lead character, and Burn Bright such a great story, is that Retra is different from the others from the outset. While everyone else has come to Ixion to have fun, Retra is only there to find her brother and convince him to leave. This is why Retra is able to find out so much about the behind the scenes of the society and why she is around when secrets are being shared. In some novels, writers have to make elaborate reasons why the character is making new discoveries, but with Retra Marianne doesn’t have these problems.

You can tell right from the outset that Marianne has a history in science fiction writing. The story doesn’t spend unnecessary pages in detailed exposition when it can be sprinkled in amongst the text. Marianne expects her readers to be able to keep up with her characters as they make new friends, break out of their comfort zone at a full fun, and try to figure out the secrets behind the mysterious and alluring Ixion.

For parents of young adults who want to read this book; be sure that this isn’t a story that emphasizes underage sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll. Burn Bright shows the attraction of freedom but also the dangerous side effects of having too much of a good thing.

I recommend Burn Bright to everyone, and make sure you check out the original music from artist Yunyu that is based off the book series. You can view "Angel Arias" on YouTube.

So what do you think? Have you read the book and have a different opinion? Let me know in the comments.

ISBN: 9781864719888

Imprint: Random House Australia

Kathy

Themes: The Night Creatures, Burn Bright, Angel Arias, science fiction, Marianne de Pierres, young adult fiction