Defiance - TV Show

[Melbosa]

So anyone else catch this one last night?  I actually enjoyed it, despite reviews being somewhat positive and negative. Lead character seems to be a cross between Han Solo and Firefly's captain.  Good humour, if a bit cliche, but still had my wife laughing even if it was predictable to a SciFi nut like me.  CG was great in some places and Sanctuary Blue Screen in others (so for me tolerable).  Story was really 3 plots in one, but all in all it flowed nicely.

The tie-in to the game consisted of some name drops and quick references.  I suspect it will be a few episodes yet before any real tie-ins start to happen.

Overall I give the show a 8/10.  I'd say a better launch than SG1, but not as good as Firefly launch.

[Mr. Analog]

...DANGIT

I knew I was supposed to add it to my PVR last night.

I turned it on even but saw I had an episode of Mad Men I hadn't yet watched and forgot all about it

[Thorin]

I caught it at, like, 1am.  Well, I missed the first ten minutes so missed some of the plot.

Simple question, why would the Volge march down a valley that is a clear and obvious ambush point if 1) they are warriors and 2) they are climbers?

It does help to read the Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defiance_(TV_series).  But to me, there are too many logic holes in the show thus far.  Why are they driving a 40 year old car in a world that's supposedly been completely or partially terraformed?  Has no newer transportation technology been invented?  And where do they buy the gas?  Why are they using M16s and MP5s?  On the one hand a bunch of technology has been lost but on the other hand after seven years of war they use shiny new-looking 40-year-old tech?  Hasn't history shown that war causes the fastest advancements in technology as the opponents try to out-research each other in a bid to stay alive and win?

I understand that this TV series is tied to an MMO.  To me, it seems like much of the backstory was filled in to create a compelling MMO (we need multiple races with cool abilities!), not to make a logical near-future story.

[Melbosa]

LOL your questions would fit so well with Firefly' back story too.  If the universe had advance so far why were thy dressed and acting like cowboys?  Why did they still use scalpels and needles when they had lasers and shielding?  Why did they use 6 shooter hand guns instead of plasma blasters?

In Terminator future, the rebels use rifles and machine guns from the 90s against machines with lasers and pulse weapons.  Sure they also uses new tech, but so does Nolan have an advanced pistol in his possession.

I think it has to do with the whole post-apocalyptic atmosphere of the planet and that most of the "scientist" types were killed or lost before the piece.  Why the arc-tech has to be salvaged from the falling space debris from above.  I think the tech is lost or the ability to make the tech requires some mineral or element not inherit to earth.

The game doesn't fill in these gaps either, at least in the first 20 "levels" (I call them levels but it really doesn't have the same traditional leveling system of an MMO) or so.

I have to agree about the not so tactful assault on Defiance.  But hey maybe they are a great warrior race but not to bright in terms of strategy - perhaps that is how the humans beat them or survived against them in the Earth wars, obviously out matched in technology.

Yeah I no not where they get the gas... we assume they run on gas.  They never explained that, just implied with the gas cans in the back of the Runners (the actual term used in the game for the vehicle Nolan drives).

While it fails in some "so unrealistic" plot points or techology gaps, it is a Fiction first.  Realistic might be something you might have to allow for a broad spectrum.  I wouldn't count it out based on that, otherwise shows like Firefly, Farscape, Eureka, etc wouldn't have ever worked.

But if truly you didn't like it, then you didn't like it.  That is the feeling I get from your post, as least in its initial launch.  For me it fits in my missing true SciFi bracket as I don't watch Dr. Who.

[Lazybones]

Yep, there are a lot of holes, but most TV Scifi is full of them.

Possoble spoilers?

Spoiler

Most of the earth tech is old because well they did not do that well in the war and almost all of earths tech was messed up by the terraforming and debri impacts.

Most of the alien tech is being salvaged from ships that where sealed or exposed to the vacuum of space.

Given that that army was marching with heavy tank like devices the valley was probably the only option for assault. without the special improvised weapon their losses would have been minimal as they where doing a good job of climbing up those walls to take out the humans...

It could be explained as massive over confidence and bad intel, they had a man on the inside that had dropped the shields already they probably didn't even expect a fight. They probably just expected to move some heavy equipment in and to hold the positions.

[close]

[Melbosa]

Damnit I always forget about the spoiler stuff!

[Melbosa]

It does help to read the Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defiance_(TV_series).

That does help actually.  Read it over lunch, and is very helpful in filling in some information.  Even answers some of the questions posted here.

[Thorin]

I think what bugs me is this show basically comes off as hipster me-too sci-fi with thinly-veiled product marketing as its aim.

product marketing to come:

Spoiler

http://www.mlive.com/auto/index.ssf/2013/04/dodge_charger_to_star_in_syfys.html

What the @%&#, a car designed in 2008 and freshened in 2012 is going to be the "hero" of a show set in post-apocalyptic terraformed 2046?  With another car of the same vintage and brand available in the tied-in video game?

And I thought Hawaii Five-O was bad for the clear GM sponsorship, but at least there they just drive the cars, not talk about them or worship them as heroes.

[close]

[Lazybones]

I wonder if they will actually name the car and its features. I figure it is just clever funding and marketing when they know a % of the audience is likely to be downloading the show instead of watching it on TV.

Anyone remember the cringe worthy references to the Nissan rogue in Heros?

[Thorin]

Yup, I remember. There were several other Nissan vehicles placed as well, but none quite as stupendously obvious as the Rogue.  Well, except for Hiro's demand that it must be a Nissan Versa.

I have daughters of the right age for Twilight to have been displayed on my home theater a few times. In Twilight, Volvo premiered its C30 as the car that Edward drives. There was this big driving scene where it's just him driving the Volvo somewhere. Now, in the books there are car brands dropped left, right, and center, and Volvo was already Edward's brand. But still, the way they show the Volvo car is always showing the brand plate, whether exterior or interior shot.

Still, if you don't care about spoilers read the link in the spoiler tag in my previous post.

Spoiler

They put the car in a friggin' car show, for @%&#'s sake. The car that will be on the show. And then they brag all about how you can drive a similar car in the game.

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Personally I find it way too blatant.

[Lazybones]

So you also hated the dukes of hazard, knight rider, knight rider 2000, herbie, bond films, viper cannonball run and the back to the future movies?

Lots of car and car show tie ins in those.

[Melbosa]

Then there is Transformers (all 3 movies), Batman, Bad Boys, Italian Job, Transporter (all movies)... lol its nothing new to do sponsorship, blatant sponsorship in a movie when it comes to cars.

Bones TV show is really bad at promoting Toyotas; they will frequently have discussions about features of a Toyota car or vehicle, promoting hands free parking, millage, etc between Bones and Booth.  Hawaii Five O (both versions as per your previous post) also are heavy car advertisers.

Its one of those things that I can't fault a TV show IMO.  Like Lazy pointed out, whether it is from downloads or PVRs, lots of people simply do not watch commercials anymore so marketing is going to find other ways to advertise brands, logos and models.

[Lazybones]

And marketing pays for the production of shows.


Which is why I am interested in seein how well Netflix, Hulu and Amazon do with their original programming at a fixed subscription cost.

[Darren Dirt]

I have daughters of the right age for Twilight to have been displayed on my home theater a few times. In Twilight, Volvo premiered its C30 as the car that Edward drives. There was this big driving scene where it's just him driving the Volvo somewhere. Now, in the books there are car brands dropped left, right, and center, and Volvo was already Edward's brand. But still, the way they show the Volvo car is always showing the brand plate, whether exterior or interior shot.

WOW, there's blatant product placement (which is usually a very visual thing) inside BOOKS now?

By the way, am I alone in that it's impossible NOT to think of A Certain TV Show That Shark-Jumped In Season 2 when they see a Nissan Versa driving by? (so I guess PP works)

[Lazybones]

Wow, I forgot all about the Ford Focus and TD bank inserts into the show Being Erica.